Aura Rising Trilogy Book II: Shaman of Blue Flame
by Gweniveve Skyes
Summary: Upon the sands of Orre, Ash and his friends discover that allies-and enemies-can exist in the strangest of places. Fate will always have her way, no matter how much you resist her call. Contest-, Poke- and Cavalier- pairings.
1. Chapter 1

Shaman of Blue Flame

** This is the second book of the _Aura Rising Trilogy_, called _Shaman of Blue Flame_. This takes place in a more exotic locale, and involves many more subplots, including romance among other things, since it seemed that the first book was far more direct, in order to establish a base line. As you read the first book, you were probably wondering 'why isn't Paul in the story?', 'why is it cavaliershipping instead of the usual ikari?' Well, because Paul is a jerk. While Paul might respect Ash, there would be no way that he would follow him around and become BFF's for life. If some other author can pull that off, then fantastic...I can't lol. And also, Leaf/Green/Blue/I-have-no-idea does not exist in the anime-verse; she exist only in the games, so why cross breed the universes? Logic FTW.**

** And the Isshu/Unova storyline and the Best Wishes Series does not exist in this universe, so you could say that the story is now an AU :). Unova exists though.**

** Here are the ages and the following pokemon of the main characters:**

**Ash 18: Charizard, Buizel, Pikachu, Torterra, Gible, and Noctowl.**

**Misty 18 ½: Gyarados, Politoed, Psyduck, Corsola, Azurill(kept in a pokeball), and ?(Yes, Misty has a surprise new Pokemon and its not from Unova)**

**Brock 22: Steelix, Toxicroak, Crobat, Marshtomp, Sudowoodo, and Foretress**

**May 17: Blaziken, Glaceon, Beautifly, Venasaur, Wartortle, and Skitty **

**Drew 17: Flygon, Roserade, Absol, Butterfree, and Masquerein**

**Max 13: Treeko, Poochyena, Ralts and ?**

**Dawn 16: Piplup, Mamoswine, Togekiss, Quilava, Buneary and Pachirisu**

**Gary 18: Umbreon, Electrivire, Nidoqueen, Arcanine, Blastoise, and Skarmory**

**Blaidd(now back as a Lucario): Aura Sphere, Psychic, Earthquake, Protect. He can use Aura in various ways though, as exhibited throughout the previous book.**

**In addition, there are OCs, numerous OCs that play a part in the story; however, they will not dominate the story, nor will they become M-S's, they are just there to expedite the story along. **

The streets of Viridian City were all but silent at this time of night. A faint, late summer wind blew through the streets, blowing trash and debris about. The citizens of the city were in their homes, for no one wanted to be out in the oppressing heat. The wind, unfortunately, did not do much to alleviate the August heat. Ratatta and meowth scampered about the streets, seeking sustenance to satisfy their growling stomachs. One troop of Ratatta were fortunate to discover an upturned trashcan near an abandoned warehouse on the western side of town. They rummaged through the garbage, eagerly devouring anything remotely edible, until a scream tore through the night, shattering the silence and scattering the rattata.

The warehouse was once a factory that produced paper products; now, it served as an empty refuge for shady characters and Giovanni's temporary headquarters. Since the downfall of Team Rocket, Giovanni had been forced to fade into the background. His gym was now run by associates, while he pulled the strings, the proverbial puppet master. He did, however, run into a string of good fortune, beginning with the capture of a defector. He did not look too kindly to those who abandoned his enterprise.

A warehouse light dangled by a thin wire lit the room. Giovanni hovered over the defector, who was tied to a chair. Giovanni wore a black button down shirt with a pair of black slacks. Blood stained his brass knuckles. "Tell me," he snarled. "What were you after? Why were you here!" His Persian echoed his sentiments, growling low at the back of her throat. She was sitting nearby, licking her paw slowly and deliberately as she listened in.

"I don't know!" The defector sobbed, bleeding from a cut on her cheek. Her dirty blond hair hung lank and limp around her face. "I was only told to-" she broke off from her statement, trembling.

Giovanni leaned in. "Told to what?"

"Nothing," she grimaced. "And that's all you're getting from me."

"Such a change in attitude," Giovanni leered, tipping her chin and forcing her to gaze into his eyes. "I wouldn't expect no less from you, Mia Santos, or should I say, the Black Rose." He pulled away and struck her again. "I can break your body just as easily as I can break your will. Traitor." he hissed. He struck her once more. "Tell me!"

"No," Mia spat, spitting out a glob of blood. "And Archer was more of a leader than you ever were."

Giovanni stepped back. "Very well then. I admire your pluck, but like I said, I can break you, just as I made you, Black Rose." he pulled out a single pokeball from his belt. "Nidoking, poison sting."

And Mia finally did scream.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

A flock of pidgey flew away from the noise, distracting James momentarily as he sat by the entrance of the warehouse, fiddling with the collar of his white uniform. "I don't see why we decided to stay Jessie," he drawled. "I mean, we could have packed up and split too, maybe done something perhaps a little more _constructive_."

"That had to be the most idiotic thought I've heard from your mouth since who knows when," Jessie snorted. "With Rocket agents leaving the Boss and heading to this 'Archer' guy, I don't want to end up at the bottom of the heap of some new guy and his organization."

"I don't mean _join_ them," James amended. "I mean just doing what we want. You can do your coordinating and Meowth and I can do, well, whatever."

"What if we get caught, then what James? Do we end up like that poor sap inside?"

"Besides," Meowth piped up. He was perched on the lid of a trashcan, kicking his feet idly. "If we stay on, then we're the top cat, since we're the most experienced."

"And the only ones left," James added. "Well, pretty much the only ones left."

The trio went back to their vigil, silent. Jessie spoke up after a few moments. "Do you know who The Boss captured?"

"Something 'bout a "Black Rose" or somethin'," Meowth shrugged.

"The Black Rose was once one of the Boss's best assassins," James explained. "She had some special ability or another that allowed her to sense the presence of her targets. Then she dropped off the radar nearly seven years, with no trace or sign of her since."

Jessie whistled. "Impressive, to avoid the Boss after so long. So, the Black Rose joined up with this Archer guy then?"

James ran a hand through his hair, green eyes contemplative. "That's what it sounds like." The air was pierced with another scream, until it died off in a gurgle. "Literally." he shuddered.

Jessie's face was a pale shade of green at the sound, imagining Giovanni torturing the woman. "I've never seen the Boss like that before. He's pissed."

"Yeah," Meowth replied. "But bad guys have to start from somewhere, right?"

"Let's hope this doesn't happen often at headquarters."

James laughed bitterly. "What headquarters? We're now at some warehouse in the worst side of town, tons of agents left Giovanni-"

"Including Cassidy and Beef," Jessie added.

"You mean Butch," Meowth corrected.

"Yeah, that one."

"Ahem," James coughed. "As I was saying, pretty much Team Rocket is down to nothing, save maybe a handful of us who decided to stay. There's nothing left. Heck, we haven't even seen the twerp since the Lily of the Valley Conference."

"Good point," Meowth grabbed the lid of the trash can and rocked back and forth. "But at the least, we stayed behind. Maybe we'll get something from it. Maybe a pay raise or somethin'."

"Technically we got a field promotion," James chuckled. "Since there's no one left."

"Still counts."

Jessie looked skyward, at the faint twinkling stars. There had been a meteor shower a few nights before, and the trio had been lucky enough to view it outside of city limits. It was also the night that Giovanni—with some help from James, Jessie and Meowth—captured Mia, i.e, The Black Rose. She had been fleeing something, garnered from her exhaustion and the fact that she barely put up a fight when captured. They found her outside the limits of Pewter City, clinging onto her Dodrio for dear life. "It's awfully quiet out," she said softly. James and Meowth nodded.

"You know," Meowth began. "I was just thinkin'-"

"Gee that sounds difficult," Jessie said sarcastically.

"Quiet or I'll use my 'fury swipes on youse," Meowth warned. "Anyways, you know how we haven't seen the twerp in like forever? I was just thinkin', maybe the twerp and this Archer guy are connected somehow."

"And how would that be?" James asked.

Meowth shrugged. "Heck if I know, but it seems like a _huge_ coinkidink, don't you think?"

"That's ludicrous," Jessie scoffed. "That's even dumber than what James said earlier."

"Hey!" James shouted.

"I'm just sayin'," Meowth trailed off.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Mia slumped forward in her chair, straining against her bonds, utterly defeated. It had to have been her luck to run into her former employer during her flight and to be captured by him and a few of his lackeys had been embarrassing. She did have to admit though, that Giovanni was a master at his art, a twisted art, but his art nonetheless. "Fine," she rasped. Giovanni's Nidoking had sent poison into her system, not enough to kill her, but enough to cause excruciating pain, like her insides were burning. "Archer sent us to hunt down this boy. His name's Ash Ketchum. He was heading north, this Ash kid, until a skirmish forced us to split up."

"Who's us?"

"Me, Stella, Eldrin and another, but he died. I guess Eldrin's dead too, no one could have survived that fall. Stella was forced to leave," she paused. "I'm the only one left."

"Good, good," Giovanni turned away from Mia. "Looks like I won after all." He wiped his hands on a handkerchief. "Why? Why does Archer want this Ash?"

"To turn him into a weapon, to take down this empire built on lies and falsehoods. To usher in a new age," Mia laughed. "Kill me now if you want, but we already won. We beat you Giovanni, you and Team Rocket."

This time it was Giovanni's turn to chuckled. It was a dry sound that sent shivers down Mia's spine. "?You haven't won quite yet. You gave me everything I need. Unfortunately for you, I have no more use for you at this point. It's a shame though, you were once one of my best spies and assassin. Had I been in a 'lighter' mood, shall we say, I would have spared you, with a bit of "reeducation" along the way. However, you decided to align yourself with someone who tried to kill me and take over my enterprise, one that I have worked so tenderly on for a very long time." Giovanni ushered for Nidoking to come to his side. "I most certainly hope that Archer doesn't miss you that much." He snapped his fingers and walked away, turning his back on her. "Finish her Nidoking." The bulky pokemon leered, baring its fangs as he lunged forward.

Giovanni didn't look back when her heard her screams. "And so the Black Rose withers away," he said softly to himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"...And I'm saying that that made no sense," James argued. "What did that have to do with your theory?"

"Lookie here Jimmy," Meowth pointed one clawed finger at the blue haired man. "The twerp disappears after the competition. And I mean the 'Poof!', kind of disappeared. Then this Archer guy comes along, demands the Boss to hand over his shipping fleet, and then HQ blows up. Boom! Just like

that."

"That still makes no sense," Jessie countered.

"Then where did the twerp and his Pikachu go?" Meowth demanded. "Huh?"

"I would hate to interrupt this _engaging_ conversation of yours," Giovanni began as he exited the warehouse, hands resting behind his back. Persian was at his side, limping slightly as she padded along. The explosion had broken one of her legs. It healed quickly, thanks to Giovanni's connections to hospitals, but she was left with a limp because of it. "What do you know about a certain Ash Ketchum?"

Jessie and James swallowed nervously. Meowth crossed his arms. "Told ya so," he smirked.

Giovanni flashed a winsome, slick smile. "Ah, so you do know something then."

James blanched. "Well-well, not _that_ much," he stammered.

"But surely you know something," Giovanni insisted. The tone in his voice reminded James of a snake oil salesmen.

"He's a trainer," Jessie said. "A really good one."

Giovanni nodded. "So there is a reason that Archer is after him then. Well then, this makes my plan a little bit easier."

"How ya gonna do that Boss?" Meowth asked.

"Simple. One of the goals of war is to deny the enemy of his resources. This 'Ash' is what Archer wants," Giovanni explained, as he would to a child. "Deny Ash to Archer and he falls."

Jessie bit the inside of her cheek, thinking. She prayed that Giovanni wasn't planning on doing to Ash like he did to Mia, the Black Rose. She sensed that those screams would linger in her dreams for a long time. "Of course, Ash is much more useful to me alive then dead. He is valuable to Archer and therefore, valuable to me." Jessie breathed in inward sigh of relief.

Confusion clouded Meowth's face. "So, are we going to like, kidnap him or something?"

"That would be far too simple. Instead, we're going to hit two pidgeys with one stone and humiliate Archer. We're allying with the boy."

"Oh," Meowth scratched his head, the gold coin flashing in the streetlight. "How are we going to find him then?"

Giovanni placed an arm around Jessie and James's shoulders. "That is where you come in. Find him, then report to me, or you will end up like the Black Rose. Understand?" he hissed, his voice cold.

Jessie, James and Meowth nodded vigorously. "Yessir!"

"Good, you start tomorrow." Giovanni turned back inside. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some business to take care." Giovanni went back into the warehouse. Jessie, James and Meowth peered inside after him.

"I wonder what business is he talking about?" James wondered.

"Probably to get rid of the Black Rose," Meowth replied.

Jessie shuddered as her mind supplied gruesome images. She looked down at the ground, watching a piece of trash blow by. The wind had picked up, yet it still didn't provide relief. "How did we come to this?" she asked quietly as she shivered, despite the heat.

She felt something settle over her shoulders and she finally noticed that James had taken off his jacket, revealing his black shirt. "I'm not sure," he answered softly. "But we'll get through it together like we always do, okay Jessie?"

She nodded. "Okay." She still felt uneasy, unsure of herself and the world.

"Well, at the very least, we can try to steal the twerp's Pikachu!" Meowth said, interrupting the somber moment.

"We're trying to work with him, not steal from him," James remarked acidly.

"Worth a shot," Meowth shrugged.

The trio went inside, Jessie still wearing James' coat.

_The first pawn has moved in the game. A game of chess when you cannot see your opponent, hidden by the veil, and you can only hope that he makes a misstep. It is no longer a game though. The fires of war are being stoked and in the end..._

_ ...It will burn everything it touches._


	2. Chapter 2: Checkmate

Chapter 2: Checkmate.

**So something came to my attention with the publication of the first chapter of this story. While I received a lot of Story Alerts, Faves and what not, I didn't get a whole lot of reviews. Now normally I wouldn't complain about this sort of thing, but it's been happen very frequently now and it's kind of depressing. I appreciate the Faves and Alerts, but if you do Fave/Alert, I would really appreciate a review to go along with it. It can be super long and detailed, or something like "OMG, update soon!" It is rewarding for me to get the reviews and you feel good for reviewing. It's a win-win situation. Plus, you wouldn't like it if people did the same thing, right? :)**

**And to those who do review, I thank you. :)**

Sunlight poured through the windows like liquid gold, heating everything it touched with a warm infusion, giving comfort and security from the nightmarish night two nights before before. The courtyard that was once littered with corpses and wounded people and pokemon alike was slowly being cleared away, but traces still lingered on. Murkrows and honchkrows wheeled overhead, waiting to feast upon the dead; however, they would not be so lucky that morning, for many of the castle residents decided to toss the bodies of the invaders into the waters of the moat. Those that were residents and visiting trainers would be given a decent burial or sent back home. Lady Rin wondered how she would explain their deaths to their parents.

Blaidd looked out the window of the bedroom he was staying at, out into the courtyard, practically bathing in the sunlight. Despite the tragedy that had taken place, he was finally free of the confining form that had been his vessel for two years. Fate had a funny way of giving him what he wanted. It came a price though: he was to stay around and continue to train his apprentice, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, until balance was restored once more. His vibrant red eyes flickered away from the window and at the board placed in front of him. He frowned in concentration and thoughtfully stroked the underside of his muzzle, thinking. Then, he reached forward and picked up one of his chess pieces, a white bishop, and moved it. He would have normally used his psychic abilities to move it, but he had to relearn many things, including using his paws and not human fingers and thumbs. Chess was a good way to exercise, both psychically and mentally.

"I believe that that is both check and mate," Blaidd smirked, crossing his arms.

Brock grimaced. "How did that happen? I got beat at chess, by a pokemon! How does a pokemon even _play_ chess?"

"Strategy was very important back when I was training under Sir Aaron. He always told me that war was like chess, except a veil was in the middle, so I couldn't see the other side. So, he taught me chess. I wasn't very good at it though. I guess he expected me to become this great general one day, which I never did."

"Still," Brock sighed and started to arrange the pieces back. "Again?"

"Sure." Blaidd started to set his white pieces back in their places when something on the bed stirred "It would seem that our guest is awake." To reiterate the point, a small yellow, mouse like head popped up, ears still halfway up red cheeks sparking slightly. It yawned mightily and soon the occupant of the bed stirred too.

Brock stood up. "I should get going then. It was fun playing with you Blaidd, even though I got beat. You should teach me some of your moves."

"If I can remember them," Blaidd chuckled. "Good-bye Brock." Brock slowly padded out of te bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Blaidd turned to the bed's occupant. "Good morning Ash, or should I say afternoon?"

Ash slowly propped himself upright, rubbing his eyes and running his fingers through his unruly black hair. "Hey Blaidd. . . What happened?"

"Well, after the battle two nights ago, you came to visit me and see how I was holding up after you talked to your friend, then you collapsed, exhausted. Thankfully your friend Gary and Misty were able to catch you before you hit your head on the stone floor. You've been asleep since."

"I've been asleep for two days?" Ash shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around it. "It doesn't seem like it."

"Of course it doesn't." Blaidd got up and sat in the chair next to him, adjusting the cloak he now wore. The cloak was a very dark blue hue, almost black, and it had a large cowl to obscure most of his face when needed. A gold and turquoise brooch held it all together. "How are you feeling?"

Ash shrugged "Um, fine I guess. I was asleep for a long time so I'm definitely not tired."

"Good because something might have been wrong then." Blaidd leaned closer. "Ash, there is something I must ask you. What happened in the chamber? The one at the top of the staircase. What happened there?"

"Do you want the whole story, or the abridged version?"

"I want to know what you saw."

"Ho-Oh, or whoever claimed to be Ho-Oh came and told me to read the runes on the podium thingy. Then I followed the instructions and then it was like I was on fire, then freezing. There were all these pictures and images that came at me. Somethings stood out, like a desert, this rusty tower and a temple in a cliff. Then it all jumbled together like a picture soup. It was pretty freaky."

Blaidd nodded. "Orre then. Whatever we're seeking is in Orre."

"Orre?"

"It's west of Johto. It only has a handful of towns and cities and is mostly desert. The reason you haven't heard of it is because it essentially isolated from the world, thanks in part to the desert and a mountain range that separates Johto and Kanto. Orre has a very small population too and therefore, no official 'League' or Gyms."

"Oh." Ash flexed the wound on his hand. It had nearly completely healed, in the past two days, with only a thin scar and numerous memories to show for it. Something than came to Ash. "Blaidd?"

"Hmm?"

"Why were those people after us and nearly killed you and everybody else in the process. Did they want something, and what's that prophecy you told me about that night? And don't give me the 'short' story either." Ash crossed his arms and waited.

Blaidd closed his eyes slowly and wrung his paws together, shifting uncomfortably in the chair. It was one chapter in his life he wished to close permanently, but it was not to be, probably never to be. He inhaled deeply, to calm himself, and began. "As I'm sure you know, there are two sides to everything, including Aura. This 'dark side' of Aura has been around since there has been Aura. Aura is like lighting a candle; there will be always be light and there will always be shadows. We call this Aura 'Black Aura' or 'Shadow Aura', because of its black flames. Shadow Aura is a very dangerous art, for it relies on using the Aura of others to fuel your own, often until the point of death for the victim. It can also control minds, break wills and cause unimaginable pain and suffering. That is why I was teaching you to not use the Aura of others, or at the least, without their permission. Shadow Aura does not 'ask' permission; it only takes and takes, like a parasite, until there is nothing left of that person and they die. The people that attacked us are users of Shadow Aura. They do not have an official 'name' like Team Magma or Team Aqua, but I call them the Aura Hunters, nonetheless.

"The Aura Hunters have been around for a very long time, seeking the usurpation of the good Aura. Sir Aaron fought many of these Aura Hunters, as did I when I was apprenticed under him. But, an equilibrium was maintained between for a long time, a perfectly balanced scale. But with the death of Sir Aaron, the balance was tipped and not in our favor either and still hasn't. Since then, the Aura Hunters gained strength and power, forcing the 'good Aura' users into the shadows, lest they get captured and killed. While we seek peace and balance, they desire power and absolute rule. However, what they didn't realize at the time was that their downfall was already in the process.

"You see Ash, the prophecy had been written by an old Aura Guardian named Sir Arrowheart. He had written the prophecy one night while meditating, but it wasn't until the death of Sir Aaron and Lady Eilsa's dream did anybody pay real close attention to it, including the Aura Hunters. They had originally dismissed it as merely the ramblings and ravings of an elder. After the disappearance of Lady Eilsa, they started to study it and soon discovered that the key to true power was in the prophecy, the only problem was was that they didn't not know who the 'Sun of the Night' was. There were other verses, but they only confused them even more.

"So, for decades and generations, the Aura Hunters laid in wait, waiting for the one who fulfilled the prophecy to show up. But in the mean time, they gradually started to consolidate power, their grasp reaching into many enterprises, so when the time came, they could quickly and efficiently take over, with little resistance.

"And the time did come, in the form of me.

"When I was revived, I was completely unaware of what had changed in the world; the only thing I knew was from what I saw journeying to the Tree of Beginning with you and your friends. I was helpless as a cub and because of it, the Hunters found my signature very easily. I was unused to my body, so I couldn't hold them off and they captured me. With such few Aura users in the world, they naturally assumed that I was the 'Sun of the Night' and in the way, they could have been right; Sir Aaron never had any children and as his one-time apprentice, I could have been considered his son." Blaidd paused, looking more and more upset as he went along.

"They tortured me, for a very long time. Soon, they got my name from one of their sessions and managed to make the connection of a "Blaidd" as Sir Aaron's apprentice. Of course, they torture only increased from there. The Aura Hunters, led by a man known as only 'The Master', ordered my torture. They were going to turn me into a living weapon, draining all the Aura inside me until I became nothing more than an empty husk and died. They nearly succeeded too, but one night, I managed to escape their grasp and fled. Their base is on a massive rock in the middle of the ocean and as you can imagine, it was a near literal dead end for me. But then, something arrived, with wings that burned like the sun and its feathers were the hues of the rainbow."

"Ho-Oh," Ash breathed.

Blaidd nodded. "Probably. Ho-Oh then said to me, ' Do not despair, for I am here. My Master still has need of you yet.' Ho-Oh helped me escape from the living nightmare and I continued to train myself, with no teacher to guide me. Eventually, I found my way back to Rota, and I recovered there. Then, I went back out into the world, to find you. That was why Eldrin, the man at the cliff, recognized me because he was one of my torturers. And now, I'm afraid that because of me, they're after you. They were able to find you because you had left your Aura unguarded and the Hunters were able to use it as a beacon. If only. . ." Blaidd trailed off, leaving the thought hanging. He took another shuddering breath, feeling his throat tighten up.

"Now they think that you are the one from the prophecy and I wish I had gotten to you sooner, to train and protect you from them. And now, you're caught in a tug of war and this time, the rope will break, and break the world."

"But how am I part of the prophecy?"

"Because, you have the identical Aura signature of Sir Aaron. While you are not the physical heir to Sir Aaron, you have his spirit and Aura. You are the son of the knight. That phrase is a play on the homophones sun and son, and knight and night. I just wish..."

"So they want me because of you." Ash interjected.

"No, they want you because it wasn't me Now, I wish it was. I'm sorry Ash. I wish that these events never happened, but unfortunately, these were events already in motion that we couldn't change, even if we tried."

Ash reached over and placed a hand on Blaidd's shoulder. "It's okay because I think it will all work out in the end."

"You are rather optimistic, aren't you Ash?"

Ash shrugged his shoulders. "It's something that you get over time, especially if you have seen the things I have." He hugged his knees suddenly. "I wish that the world wasn't so, evil, though. I mean, why do people do the things they do? Why are they willing to hurt people?"

"There are somethings that even I cannot fathom. Some days, it's much easier to be a pokemon, I think."

There was a soft knock at the door and the thick wooden door slowly creaked open a crack. Dawn peeked inside. "Oh good, you're awake."

"Hey Dawn," Ash waved. Blaidd nodded in acknowledgment. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. I have something for you." She came into the room, padding softly as to not to disturb Pikachu, who had fallen back to sleep again during Ash and Blaidd's conversation. Dawn held out a pokeball and placed it in Ash's open hand. "Your charizard really saved the day out there. The doctors patched him up really well and he wants to see you."

Ash gazed at the ball for a few seconds, not saying anything. He finally set the ball down on the night stand next to him. "Thank you Dawn."

"You should be really thanking charizard." Dawn smiled.

"He'll get his rewards later. He gets a huge ego sometimes."

"Sounds like somebody I know," Dawn winked. "Will you be coming down for dinner?"

"Maybe." Ash's stomach growled loudly as he said that. "Okay, looks like I am." Ash flipped the covers off, some of them landing on Pikachu. Pikachu shot Ash a sideways look, then went back to sleep. Ash snatched off his hat from the nightstand, running a few fingers through his hair in an attempt to tame it, latching Charizard's pokeball onto his belt. The jacket was next and his shoes shortly after. He started to follow Dawn out, but then turned to Blaidd, who was still seated. "Will you be coming too?"

"In a few minutes."

"Alright, see you around." Ash shut the door behind him, leaving Blaidd alone.

Blaidd slowly got up, stretching and cracking his joints. "I'm getting old," he muttered to himself as he made his way back to the window and to the chess set. Blaidd took a hard long look at the set and brushed a black pawn that had been tipped over. "As they always say, in chess, the pawns go first." He set the piece back up and left the room.


	3. Chapter 3: Reunions

Chapter 3

Ash walked slowly down the stairs, feeling wobbly and uneasy with his footing. He felt drained, exhausted, even though he had been resting for nearly two days. He peered around at his surroundings, his weary mind remembering where he was, at Cameran Palace. He saw the blood stains and trails that still stained the castle floor. The odor of death and war still lingered in the air like a heavy blanket, but that too was starting to fade, thankfully. A large portion of the castle was being used as a medical center, for those that had been wounded during the fight. He guessed bitterly that a part of the castle would soon become a morgue, waiting to inform the families. A glade just outside the walls was turning into a cemetery, he recalled. The invaders didn't get that luxury though. Their dead were being placed into a mass grave, a pyre in some areas. Those that still survived got medical care, but they were placed at the bottom of the priority list.

The aromas of the dining hall filled his nostrils and his stomach growled once again, reminding him why he was awake and down here in the first place. All Ash had to was to follow the smells and find the food, maybe his friends along with that. Dawn did say that they were having dinner. Pikachu chirped behind him, announcing his presence. Ash paused mid-step and knelt to Pikachu's level. "Hey buddy," he greeted, giving the mouse pokemon a scratch behind one of his ears. "You hungry?" Pikachu nodded eagerly, then glanced down as his stomach growled. Pikachu flushed, embarrassed. Ash laughed, the first laugh in many days, and picked Pikachu up, the mouse pokemon going to his usual perch, on Ash's shoulder. He went back to his quest for finding this dinner that Dawn mentioned. As he went down the stairs, he came across an empty place in the hall, just in front of a stair case. The floor was scorched, with a dark spot on the wall across the staircase. The faint stains of blood were still there, splattered on the wall and on the stone stairs. Ash suddenly remembered that that was where Blaidd made his last stand, to let he and his friends make it to the top of the staircase.

He finally found it, a small table surrounded by his friends, the ones who came with him and the ones who saved him. They all looked weary and worn, the adventure taking more from them then he had realized. The adventure had stolen away all their innocence, the harsh realities of war and death bared open like an open wound. A twinge of guilt went through his core and he wondered what would had happened if he hadn't decided to go with Blaidd. Misty was the first to notice him, flashing a wan smile as he entered the room. Max was the first to say something though.

"Hey Ash, feeling better?" he asked, scooting closer to his sister, May, to provide room. Ash's mouth started to water involuntarily as he saw the plates loaded with food. Fruit picked from Rota's orchards, fresh cheeses and baked bread, along with slabs of meat were piled onto the table.

"Now I am," he joked weakly, too exhausted to be his usual cheerful self. "That is a lot of food," he added, still eying the spread.

"Apparently they say that they usually have a lot more than this, but because of, well, you know..." Drew replied, trailing off at the mention of the previous events. He couldn't bring himself to actually say it out loud.

Ash nodded and found an empty chair, placing him between Max and Misty. He grabbed a roll and some cheese. He wanted to grab more, but his stomach wasn't feeling up to it.

"Do you remember collapsing?" Misty asked.

"Nwf wlly," Ash answered around a mouthful of roll. Seeing her disparaging look, he swallowed his bite. "I said not really."

"You toppled over like a tree," Gary added, grabbing an apple. "You're welcome, by the way."

"Thanks, I think."

They ate in silence, each with their own thoughts. While they had been mostly spared from the actual fighting, they saw the aftermath. The wounded and dying would haunt their nightmares, for as some of the more 'fit' trainers, Lady Rin had asked them to help with the cleaning and disposal, along with the tending to the wounded. It was an ugly experience.

Blaidd came down shortly after Ash did, shrouded in a voluminous royal blue cloak. It was as if he were still caught between being human and being a pokemon. He sat down at the head of the table and picked up a pear. He nibbled on it, thinking.

May broke the silence. "So, now what?" The rest of the table shot her a questioning look. "I mean, what do we do now? Do we just act like everything has gone back to normal or is there something more to this?"

"I don't think it could ever be 'normal'," Dawn added softly, to where no one could hear.

"I think Ash should be the one to explain." Blaidd said, picking at the pear's stem.

Their faces turned to Ash and he flushed. "Umm..."

"Well, are you just going to sit there like a slowpoke?" Gary prodded, resting his chin on one hand. "Or are you going to tell us? I'm _dying_ to hear this."

Ash took a deep breath and launched into his story. "We're, I mean, I'm going to Orre next. When we were in that room, I had a vision. I'm supposed to go to Orre next, to restore the balance of Aura."

"Orre?" Max queried.

"Region west of Johto," Drew responded. "A place with a whole lot of nothing." Max noticed the tightness in Drew's voice as he answered.

"Oh."

"What do you mean, 'I'?" Misty demanded.

"I'm not going to drag you guys into this. I already did enough," Ash explained. "I just thought that this was going to be some little adventure, but now it's turned into something huge, and I don't want to have you guys get hurt."

"Don't give me that Ash Ketchum. After all the stuff we've been through you, the last thing I want you to do is to go off somewhere by yourself and end up getting killed along the way. You have a horrible way of attracting the wrong kind of attention."

"But..."

"She's right, you know," Brock interjected. "We're just not going to leave you somewhere and say 'hey, have a good time saving the world! Hope you don't get killed!' Plus, you're wallowing in self pity."

"I'm not," Ash denied, crossing his arms. "I don't want you guys to get hurt, that's all."

"Then if we do, that's our fault," Misty said. "Not yours. You didn't make us go on this journey with you, what makes you think that we're leaving out to dry on this one?"

"Well I..."

"I'm not leaving you." May added.

"Me neither." Max echoed his sister's sentiments.

May looked over at Max. "Max, are you sure?"

"Positive!"

"I want to go too," Gary idly looked at his nails. "Sounds like fun."

Dawn sighed. "Which means that I have to go too, to make sure that you don't get in trouble." At this, May and Misty exchanged glances, May breaking out into giggles.

Drew, on the other hand, seemed to have enough. "Excuse me," he pushed the chair out and left the room at a clipped, yet brisk pace. May looked on with concern.

"Was it something I said?"

"I don't know," Brock said. "But maybe you should check on him. Maybe it's just me, but he's been like a tight coil all day."

"I noticed that too. I should go check on him." May got up from her chair, going after him.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Drew took in a deep, shuddering breath as he stared out into the wide open spaces of the balcony. Looking northward, the landscape was quiet, pristine, perfect for his tumultuous, chaotic mind. His world, once just like the quiet landscape, was now changing at a much faster pace than he wanted. The cool breeze ruffled his tea green hair and he ran his fingers through it, feeling fit to burst.

He had seen more in the past couple of days, cleaning up the mess and tending to the wounded and dying, than he would had if he were a doctor. He looked down at his hands, imagining the dirt and blood that had covered them just a little while ago. He didn't want this kind of life; he was happy just being a Coordinator, content with competing and showing off his pokemon, not turning them into weapons, like his absol had done to that mightyena. They were friends, not weapons of war, resorting to their primeval instincts. He leaned against the railing of the balcony, watching the sun's rays dip the mountain range in shades of violet, vermillion and orange. The sky was starting to darken as well, as were his thoughts.

Why was he so vehemently against going to Orre with the others? Was he even against going to Orre in the first place? He felt so confused. Maybe he was against going to Orre; that would make sense as to why he had left the dinner table in such a hurry.

_"Am I a coward for not wanting to go?"_ he wondered to himself. _"I mean, I don't feel like a coward, or does a coward feel at all? Maybe I'm just afraid. Yeah, that would make sense...I think."_ He knew he wasn't a coward, but at the moment, he felt like one.

_"But I wasn't a coward when I faced down that Salamence,"_ he closed his eyes, remembering. During a contest, a trainer's salamence had gone berserk during the appeals round. No one knew why, but at that moment, no one cared. They just wanted to flee. The creature had then decided that it was going to make Drew its next target, who was sitting in the stands at that time. He froze at first when he saw the beast barreling down at him, frothing maw and baleful eyes boring into his own, but he managed to summon his Flygon and the pair fought it out, until the trainer finally get the furious dragon back into its ball. _"I was scared, but I wasn't a coward, I don't think. I wasn't scared when I asked May out either. Nervous yes, scared no." _He frowned. So why was he scared then? He hissed in frustration, unable to sort his own feelings out.

"Drew? Drew!" Drew turned to find May standing there, concern etched on her features. If people could read each other like a book, May was like a picture book, in a good way, of course. "What's the matter? Why did you run off like that?"

"It's not any of your concern May." Drew faced the mountains again, not wanting to look at her, knowing that she would try to figure it out. She was naturally curious and discerning, when she wanted to be.

"Don't be like like that Drew, I was only trying to help."

"I don't need help." That was a lie, he knew.

"Then why did you run off?"

"Because."

"That's the best answer the eloquent Drew can give me? Because?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Running away isn't going to solve anything." May walked over to where he was, watching the sunset deepen the sky into glorious twilight.

"What makes you think I'm running away?" He defended.

"I can just tell." May turned to face him, placing a hand on top of his. "I have nightmares too you know. Of the dying people, of the boy in the tower."

"You do?"

"Of course, who wouldn't?"

Drew was silent for a moment, incapable of finding a decent reply. He watched May from the corner of his eye. She looked so vulnerable at that heartbeat in time. "I guess I'm scared."

May perked up. "Of what?"

"I dunno, that's the thing. I want to find out what I'm scared of, but I can't. Maybe I'm scared about going to Orre, maybe I'm scared that something could happen to-" He stopped, suddenly realizing why he was frightened. It wasn't that he was frightened for himself, but for his friends and loved ones. It hit him like one of Pikachu's thunderbolts. It made so much sense, especially since he had brought up the memory of that incident of the waterfall. He didn't want his friends, or her, for that matter, to get hurt, or worse, like the boy in the tower.

Dead.

"To what?" May gently inquired.

Drew shook his head. "Nothing May. It's alright." He started to walk away, until something clenched his wrist.

"Don't just walk away like that Drew. You can't just wave away this sort of thing you know." Her gripped weakened, and the emotions in her eyes echoed that of his own: confusion and fear. "What are you afraid of?"

"Not 'of', for. I guess—I guess I'm afraid for us, our friends. We saw the battle, what they were willing to do. If we go to Orre, will we be safe there, or will they follow us there too? Maybe I sound like a coward, maybe I _am_ a coward, but I-I just want this to all go away. I don't want to dream of blood and death anymore. I just want things the way they were, you know?"

"I don't want to dream of it either anymore, but," she took a deep breath, trying to place her feelings on an even keel. Drew's words were a mirror image of what she, perhaps everybody, were thinking. "But if we don't do something to make it so everything can be normal, then who?" She hugged herself tightly. "Drew?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you be going then? To Orre? I mean, I understand if you don't and all that..."

Drew mulled it over for a moment. He flashed a smile, a tired and possibly forced smile, but a smile nonetheless. "_Somebody_ has to leap over waterfalls."

May suddenly clung to him. "Thank you." The sudden movement startled him, but he began to relax.

"For what?"

"For coming." She rested her head on his chest, taking comfort in his warmth. "And for talking."

"Um, sure, no problem May." He wrapped his arms around her, his head on top of hers, the result of a recent growth spurt. At least he didn't have to be scared alone.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Ash went out into the courtyard, searching. It was nearly dark, with the first few stars peeking from the nighttime veil. Unfortunately though, most of them were blotted out by the brightness of the pyre burning just over the other side of the castle wall, the funeral for those who had attacked the Palace. He was looking for something, but amid the chaos, it was difficult to tell.

A happy roar soon let Ash know what he was looking for. His Charizard, side, chest and thigh bound in fresh white bandages, bounded towards his trainer as fast as he wounded leg would let him. Ash wrapped his arms around the dragon's neck, elated that his pokemon had made it through the battle relatively unscathed. Charizard hissed a little though, as Ash pressed on the flesh just next to his right shoulder. Ash backed off just a little, half expecting Charizard to let loose a gout of fire. Instead, he only covered Ash in a thin layer of soot and smoke, then licked his face with his raspy tongue. Ash would later describe it as being licked by sandpaper. Very rough sandpaper.

"Charizard, You're okay!" Ash pulled back to look the mighty dragon in his dark, almost black eyes. "I'm so glad you're okay." There was at least one bright piece of news in his otherwise hectic life. Charizard grunted and plunked himself down on the grass, enveloping his trainer with his wings, flinching only slightly as the scab on the joint of his wing pulled slightly. It was like being hugged by a furnace or a kiln. The trainer took comfort in the mighty beast's warmth.

"So," Ash said to Charizard. "Ready for another adventure?"

Charizard looked quizzically to one side, then the other, before making his decision, nodding vigorously, eager at the prospect of a new adventure. He then belched a trickle of flame to the sky, his flame still weak after the expenditure at the bridge. It had drained away at a lot of the internal storage of his fire and it would take some time to recover. Not a lot, thankfully.

Ash pulled away from Charizard's enveloping embrace and pulled out the dragon's pokeball, the one Gary gave back to him.

"We'll be leaving tomorrow." He held up Charizard's ball. "Wanna go back into your ball?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Char!"

Ash grinned, then recalled Charizard back to his ball. He clipped the ball to his belt, already feeling better mostly.

Tomorrow. Almost an eternity away. He shook his head and headed back inside and to his room, to try and get some more rest before the long day ahead.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**I hope that didn't seem too OOC, but it sort of makes sense why they would act that way, well...in my head, at least. After all, they did just experience a HUGE battle and saw a bunch of dead(please hold all _Sixth Sense _jokes until afterward) and dying people after that. Plus, for someone like Drew, who hasn't been embroiled in their numerous adventures, it had to come to a pretty big shock for him. That's my story and I'm sticking to it lol.**


	4. Chapter 4: Home Sweet Home

Chapter 4: Home Sweet Home

**I'd like to give a big thank you to all who have reviewed so far: TyphloEruption, Knight of Wings, Princess Kanako, Ahkalia, I Lo3e Wizardmon, Jane Hawthorn, Sajhil, eeveelutionluvr, Hikaru-pichu, dbzgtfan2004, and AshandMistyLove. All your reviews and encouragement mean a lot to me and I thank you.**

** Also, thanks to the (probably, but I might be exaggerating lol) loads of people who have Faved, alerted and other things. They mean a lot to me too :).**

The trip back to Pallet Town was quiet and relatively safe, much to everyone's relief. Save for an incident with a tauros pack—which Ash will forever blame Gary for-, the trip had been quiet, for the most part. Ash and the others had never been so relieved when they arrived back in Pallet Town, seeing the rolling green hills and the houses tucked away in the valleys. Ash raised his hands up in the air joyously.

"Oh thank _goodness_!" he praised. "Home sweet home!"

"No kidding," Brock replied. The trip had been trying on them and even though it wasn't technically _his_ home, Brock had never been more grateful for it. He swore to burn a candle in Arceus' honor, a promise made even more prominent due to the fact that he had never done such a thing before.

Misty nodded. "Yeah, I just want a decent bed to rest in." Azurill, who was finally let out of its ball, chirped in concert. Misty was tired, haggard and recently, her dreams had been plagued by something dark. Not the battle at Rota, but like the dream she had when she brushed up against the time flower. Dreams of Ash and her friends dying.

Blaidd adjusted the voluminous hood of his cape, obscuring his lupine features even more; he didn't want onlookers gawking at his exotic features. Lucarios were not native to Kanto, save only as pokemon owned by trainers. The cloak was pulled tighter around his body, further hiding himself. "Well, as they say, as one adventure ends, another one begins. We better get going." He eased his way down a hill using his staff, the spear haft he obtained from the battle, the spear head long since removed and cleaned of blood.

Dawn slid up next to Misty as they walked. "Misty, are you okay? You look tired."

Misty flashed a smile, one that she didn't mean. "I'm fine Dawn. I'm just exhausted. It's been a while since I traveled."

"Oh, okay. That makes sense. It's just that you have these dark circles under your eyes, like you haven't slept in days, weeks maybe."

"Like I said, it's been a while since I went traveling. It can be pretty wearing at points."

"Yeah, especially if you've been traveling with Gary," Dawn joked.

Gary, who had been walking with Max, explaining the science of Nidoking and Nidoqueen, whipped his head back over his shoulder. "I heard that!"

"Of course you did! You have selective hearing!" Dawn retorted, still smiling.

Misty had to keep a straight face. _"Is Dawn_ flirting _with him? True, girls flirt with Gary all the time but still. . ." _She paused, reminiscing. _"I guess I have to admit, I miss traveling with everybody. I wish I could be back on the road again, instead of being stuck at the gym all day." _She groaned suddenly, remembering. "Crap."

"What's up Misty?"

"I forgot about my sisters. They'll probably want me back at the gym."

Dawn pulled a face. "That doesn't sound like fun. I know I couldn't stay in one place for such a long time. Does it get boring, working at the gym?"

"All the time, but it gets occasionally marginally exciting when some ten-year-old comes in with their pidgey or caterpie and demand a match. I promptly trounce them, of course, but even then, it can get stale pretty fast."

"Have you tried a Contest? They're a blast and I bet you would be awesome with your water pokemon!"

Misty tossed her head back in laughter, this one, unlike her smile, genuine. "You sound just like May! She was trying to convince me to do Contests a loooong time ago. She gave up on that idea pretty quick."

"Well, have you ever tried it just once?"

"I don't think I'm cut out for Coordinating." Just then, the first smells of home cooking hit Misty's nostrils. "Oh, by all the Legendaries, that smells good. We must be almost home then."

"Food!" Ash ran by them at a breakneck pace down the road, nearly taking Blaidd down with him. The Lucario brushed off his cloak and thumped his stick in the ground.

"The impertinence of humans!" He growled. "It's not like the food's going to disappear by the time he gets there!"

"True," Max added. "But it will disappear if we get there after Ash has his way with the food."

Blaidd chuckled at the comment. "I'm glad that I'm no longer human." He then broke into a loping run, his footpads barely hitting the dirt road as he ran after Ash.

"Wait up guys!" Max panted

They had barely just made it to the front door of Ash's house when his mother came out the door, drying off a dish. Mr. Mime peeked around the door behind her. The smells of home cooking were even stronger now and Blaidd wondered how exactly she knew when he was coming home, but then remembered how Ash had called her in Viridian City. She swept Ash up in a crushing hug.

"Mom!" he gasped, face turning a bright shade of maroon. Pikachu had already leapt off his shoulder in an attempt to escape. "Not in front of my friends!"

"Oh, sorry hon, I'm just glad you're home. It was quite a little side trip for you huh?"

Ash adjusted his cap. "Yeah, it was."

"Well, I'm glad that everybody has made it back safe and sound." She took notice of the lucario who was standing off to the side, one arm hugging the other. He wore a large cloak the shade of royal indigo and carried a staff of a pale wood. The hood concealed most of his face, but the cloak failed to disguise the rest of himself. "So who's your new friend over there?"

Blaidd took off the hood; after all she wasn't a total stranger. He flashed a lupine smile. "Mrs. Ketchum," he greeted, tipping his head slightly.

Delia nearly dropped the plate in alarm. "It talks!"

Blaidd opened his mouth to say something else, but Ash interceded before he could.

"It's a long story Mom," he said hurriedly. "Remember Blaidd Wilson, the one who came by to take us to Rota?"

"Yes, he seemed like a very nice person."

Ash jerked a thumb back at the lucario. "That's Blaidd."

"Blaidd is a pokemon now?"

Blaidd shrugged. "As Ash said, it is a very long story."

"Well, alright. Come on in, I have supper cooking on the stove. You too Blaidd. I'm not sure what you want to eat, whether its pokemon chow or our food, but I can bet you're hungry."

Blaidd paused for a moment. He didn't encounter this problem before; traveling back from Rota, he had eaten fruit obtained along the way, with the occasional pieces of chocolate here and there. But smelling the food and hearing the eager rumble of his stomach, Blaidd quickly made a decision. "Thank you. If it's alright, may I join you at the table?"

"I don't see a problem with that. I do expect some manners though."

Blaidd saluted. "Yes ma'am!"

"Oh and Ash, Professor Oak and Tracey are here as well. You told me you wanted to talk to them, right?"

"Yeah, thanks Mom," Ash had wanted to ask Professor Oak about the Orre region. It was a region unfamiliar to Ash and he wanted to know as much as he could about it, especially if he was to end up going there.

As they went inside, Gary pulled Delia aside. "Are you okay, Mrs. Ketchum?" he asked quietly.

"Of course I am." She replied, cheerful.

"I'm not talking about today, Mrs. Ketchum. I'm talking about from, you know earlier..." he trailed off.

"Gary, don't worry about me. We're all okay now, so don't worry about it."

"Are you sure, Mrs. Ketchum?"

"Yes I am Gary and you don't have to call me 'Mrs. Ketchum'. It makes me feel old. Like I tell the other kids, you can just call me 'Mom'."

Gary hesitated for just a moment, rubbing one arm. "You know how I feel about that..."

A look of apology crossed Delia's features. "I know Gary." She placed a hand on Gary's shoulders. "I miss Lyanna and Robert too. Come on, let's get you something to eat. Your grandfather is in the living room. Tracey too."

Gary pulled away from Delia's touch and shuffled into the kitchen, thumbing his gold and green pendent as he did so. Delia went back into the kitchen, finishing off the last touches of what was to be an extravagant feast.

Meanwhile, the gang entered the living room, which was becoming very crowded. Blaidd was very quiet, feeling almost claustrophobic and paranoid, wishing to keep his cloak on and hood up, even though Brock offered to hang it up for him on the coat rack. Tracey was the first to see him as he was.

"Whoa, Ash! You brought back a Lucario!" Tracey was rapidly pulling out his sketchbook as he spoke at a rushed pace. "They're extremely rare in Kanto, almost unheard of even! How did you catch it?" He reached to remove Blaidd's hood.

"I'm _not_ his pokemon," Blaidd growled, very quietly, his breath like sliding steel over stone. He smacked his staff, lightly, on Tracey's outstretched hand. "I am my own person, not someone's _pet_," he reiterated. The room fell into an awkward silence. Brock tried to alleviate the tension.

"Okay, so let's not go there, shall we?" he laughed weakly.

"Good idea," May replied.

Delia popped her head out from the kitchen. "It's time for dinner!"

Ash got off the couch as quickly as she said it, stretching. "Finally!"

"Some days Ash, I think you're a stomach with two legs," Misty sighed, going into the kitchen.

"That's not very funny Misty," Ash grumbled.

"Aw, young love," Blaidd said teasingly.

"Never let them hear you say that," Tracey warned, apparently forgetting about the previous incident. "They will inflict pain on you like you will never know."

"I'm Ash's teacher, he wouldn't do such a thing," Blaidd said. "Besides, I am fully capable of defending myself."

Tracey rubbed the back of his hand where Blaidd had struck it."Duly noted."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_"...Meowth, Meowth, can you hear us? Say roger or something along those lines."_

_ "James, that isn't very helpful..."_

_ "Fine if you think you're so great, then you take over the walkie talkie!"_

_ "I intend to!"_

_ "Hey-OW! Jessie!"_

If he could have rubbed his temples, Meowth would've at that moment.He was currently hiding in the honeysuckle bushes alongside Mrs. Ketchum's house. He had a walkie talkie in one paw and a small, high tech recording device in one of his ears. It looked like a hearing aid. "You know, I can't exactly hear anything with youse two arguing all the time!"

There was a slight pause. _"...Sorry."_

Meowth nodded. "Good, I'm glad that we have an understanding." He inched closer to the window of the kitchen, trying to get even just the smallest snippet of conversation. Giovanni had ordered them to spy—not steal, he reiterated forcibly—on the Ketchum household. Giovanni was beginning to believe that the Ketchum boy was the key to defeating Archer and reclaiming the first steps of what used to be his mighty empire. Meowth liked to believe that to, if only for the smallest hope of a promotion. Unfortunately from his vantage point, Meowth couldn't hear a thing that they were saying. He harrumphed in disgust. The plan would have been so much easier if they got somebody _taller_ to do the task, he determined, but Jessie and James were much too conspicuous and a small, innocent-looking Meowth was more ideal to their plans. If only they knew how "innocent", he really was, he smirked. He scratched his head, thinking. There had to be an easier way. His wide eyes then spotted a rake that was lying a few yards from the honeysuckle bush, and it was more than tall enough to reach the window sill. He inched out of the bush, painstakingly slow, to grab the haft of the rake. After a few minutes of crawling to the rake, his cream hued paws grasped the rake shaft.

"Gotcha!" he crowed in delight, then froze, waiting if anybody heard him. Nobody did and Meowth proceeded to drag the rake across those few yards into the honeysuckle bush. He pulled out the recording device out of his ear and wrapped the wire around the top part of the rake, around the wood.

"I bet that Jessie and James never thought of this," he said, tying it. "I'll show him whose the top cat around here!" The recording device firmly secured, he started to push the rake so that it would be leaning against the siding of the house, with the recording device just peeking above the window sill. He had it balanced just right when it started to tip over, back into the bush with a loud crash.

"Gah!"

_"Meowth!"_ James voice called urgently over the walkie-talkie. _"We heard something loud on our end. Are you okay?"_

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled. "I'm fine. Just a little hiccup in the plan, that's all."

_"Oh, okay, we thought it was something worse."_

_ "...We? Don't you mean you?"_

_ "Jessie, you know what I meant."_

_ "You were the one who nearly had a heart attack!"_

_ "Did not!"_

Meowth sighed and dutifully shut off the walkie-talkie. _"Some sacrifices are needed in times like these,". _ he thought sarcastically as he pushed the rake back up. This time, he decided to brace it against the wall, to catch it if need be. He had to be careful though, for one tiny mistake could equal one gigantic blast of for him.

"...What do you mean Orre?.."

"It's what I saw. I have to go there..."

Meowth silently sang a praise to up above. The first conversations were coming in loud and clear. Giovanni would be pleased.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Professor Oak nearly spat out a mouthful of the lentil soup he was having. "What do you mean, _Orre_?"

Ash took a deep breath before continuing. He had never encountered this kind of resistance from Professor Oak. Normally, the older man was encouraging of Ash, telling him of new things and new sights to see. When his own mother balked on him taking on new adventures, Professor Samuel Oak has convinced her otherwise.

Now it felt like Opposite Day.

"It's what I saw. I have to go there." he paused, trying to explain the unimaginable tug he felt towards Orre, like a magnet to metal. "The vision, that's what it showed me. If I don't go there, they'll get there first."

Blaidd spoke up for him. "Ash is right. There are forces stirring in the world, ones we can't control, but if we don't do something, then things will get bleaker, much bleaker."

Professor Oak placed his spoon down, crossing his arms. "Orre is a very dangerous place. It is a frontier town essentially, constantly waging war against the desert. Orre is barren and deadly, for if the natives don't kill you first for trespassing on their sacred land, then the harsh sandstorms and dehydration will."

"I can do this Professor," Ash insisted.

Professor Oak shook his head. "I lost one too many friends out on those sands. They thought they could do it, just like you, traversing those sands, but they lost the battle. I'm not losing you too." He paused. _"Friends. . .friends and family,"_ he thought.

"Ash won't be doing this alone," Blaidd said. "I will be going with him."

"As am I," Misty said, much to the surprise of everyone."

"But the gym..." Tracey trailed off.

"Can handle themselves for a little longer." she said, almost brusquely.

Brock coughed. "I'll be going too."

"Same here," May added.

Me too," Max said.

"I guess I'll go too," Drew said with a slight smirk.

"I want to go too," Dawn said. Then she turned to Gary. "Gary?"

"...Hm?" he seemed quiet."

"Will you be going too?"

Gary paused looking back and forth between his grandfather and the others, who were looking at him expectantly, waiting for his decision. He hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath, then answered-

"Yes, I'll go too."

Professor Oak opened his mouth to say something, but shut it, reminding Ash of a magikarp or a feebas. A look of anguish flittered across the elder man's face, but it passed as quickly as it came. "Alright Gary, I'll let you go."

A quizzical look spread across Ash's face; he knew that Gary didn't _ask_ to go, so why did Professor Oak say it the way he did? It piqued his curiosity and he realized that maybe, he didn't know the elderly Professor as well he thought he did.

The rest of the meal went relatively smooth after the moment of tension, the quiet discussion of the trip to Orre in the air. It was simple enough: they would go to Vermillion City, then from there a ship would take them to a place called Gateon Port. From there, they would take a small ferry to a place called Agate Village and they would travel westward from there, into the desert. However, it wasn't the most difficult part pf the journey, as Professor Oak was explaining. They had finished up their meal and were sitting in Delia's living room in various positions, as there wasn't enough room on the couches and chairs.

". . .While you may think that you can beat the many dangers the deserts present, it is actually the natives of the desert. They are a mysterious group of people who value secrecy and the sanctity of their desert more than interaction with the outside world. Some of the groups that wander the Orre desert _might_ be welcoming to the outsiders, but more than likely, they will expel you, or worse, kill you, especially if they find out that you want to go see the temple. They are almost over zealous when it comes to protecting the holiest of sites for them, the temple dedicated to Ho-Oh.

"Yet, there are some things you need to know about the natives. We call them "Holohians", for their association with Ho-Oh. They eschew outside contact, for one and as they are connected to Johto, share many of the mythologies of their neighbors; however, theirs is more religious than our system of beliefs, for they believe that Ho-Oh is the creator of their being and the god of the sun. The Legendary Beasts, Entei, Suicune and Raikou, represent the deserts, the rains and storms, respectively. Their tribal organization is based off the seven colors of the rainbow, since Ho-Oh is associated with the weather phenomenon. Theyare very warrior like, so feats of strength and battle prowess are valued and revered in the culture."

Professor Oak stood up from his place in a large, comfortable chair. "Unfortunately, there isn't much more to say about the group and that is all I can give. I bid you all good night." He entered the kitchen, where he ran into Delia, who was finishing up cleaning up from the previous.

"Coffee?" she asked when he walked in.

"Considering that my nerves have been going at their maximum, I don't see how a mug of coffee would keep me any more awake."

Delia nodded and went to the coffee brewer, where a hot pot of coffee was waiting. Professor Oak noticed the half empty mug next to the kitchen sink. He took Delia's offered mug and inhaled deeply, taking in the savory, bitter aroma.

"You know," Delia began, wiping a dish clean. "Gary and Ash are much more capable than you think. They can take care of themselves."

"They don't understand the dangers that desert conceals," Professor Oak retorted, taking a sip of the mug and leaning against the counter. Delia noticed that he looked more haggard, older at that moment. "They think it's just another adventure."

"Gary isn't like Robert, you know," Delia insisted.

Professor Oak shook his head. "I know he isn't, but he still has his father's-my son-stubborn and impulsive streak. The last thing I want is for Gary to emulate Robert in more ways than one."

"I don't want the same thing to happen to my Ash any more than you do, but at this point, I've learned one thing and that's if Ash doesn't find adventure, adventure will find him, times ten."

Professor Oak let out a sardonic chuckle. "Just like his father."

Delia went back to washing the dishes. "Very much so. Coffee alright?"

"Fantastic Delia. You always knew how to make a batch of coffee to perfection."

"Thanks to my days as an intern under you. You would get as angry as a Ursaring when you didn't have at minimum three mugs, first thing in the morning."

"Only because Lyanna could never make a pot of good proper coffee." Professor Oak said as he placed his now empty mug into Delia's dishwasher. "Well," he stretched. "I better be shepherding the boys back to the lab. It was a lovely dinner Delia and thank you once again." He went out into the living room. Delia could hear him talk to Tracey and Gary. "Come on boys, time to head back. We have a lot to do in the morning."

She went back to washing the pots and pans since they couldn't go into the washer. It was a mindless task, which allowed her mind to wander. She knew Gary, nor Ash were not like Robert, or Lyanna for that matter, but Professor Oak's words lingered in her mind._ "Besides,"_ she thought._ "Their friends will be coming with them. They're safer as a group, Strength in numbers, I always say."_ She started to scrub harder at the pot, like her outward actions would wipe away her doubt an insecurity. She paused, looking out into the distance. She knew she couldn't stop her son, but at least, she could pray for him and his friends.

Like she had always done, because while a lot of things change, not all of them have to.

**Ooh, hints of a backstory _and_ of an entire new culture, the "Holohians". I've been perfecting them for almost a year, since I started writing the last half of_ Revival. _I hope you enjoy them as much as I have writing them and building their world.**


	5. Chapter 5: Weaving the Loose Threads

Chapter 5: Weaving the Loose Threads

"But like, you can't leave!" Lily shouted into the videophone, panicky. "We, like, need you here!"

"You are perfectly capable of taking care of yourselves," Misty countered coolly, arms crossed. Her temper was wearing thin, however, due to Lily or Violet screeching into the videophone screen, while she was trying to keep a civil conversation with Daisy. She was at Professor Oak's lab, talking with her sisters about her plans to go to Orre. It would be considered an understatement to say that the three sisters were unhappy about this change in plans."Daisy's a decent battler and all we get nowadays is rookies. We haven't had an appointment with a highly skilled trainer in months. So, it's safe to say that you can handle the occasional weedle and pidgey that comes waltzing through the doors."

"But what about like, our plays?" Violet asked, her voice shrill. Misty wondered if the local dog pokemon in Pallet could hear her it was so high. "If we're like, doing stuff with the gym, we can't like, do our play stuff!"

Misty snorted. "Ah yes, the overly done mermaid scenario."

"It's not like, that overly done!" Lily cried.

"Oh, will you two like, shut up!" Daisy yelled over her shoulder. "I'm like, trying to talk to Misty here." The two younger sisters slinked away, abashed. Daisy turned back to Misty. "So like, how long do you like, think it will take?"

Misty shrugged on the other line. "I'm not sure, that's the hard part. Professor Oak says that these "Holohians"," her tongue stumbled around the unfamiliar term. "Are really secretive and he says it will be hard to get to them."

"I heard that like, they were barbarians," Daisy said with a shudder. "We still need you here though."

"And so do my friends," Misty argued. "This is the adventure of a lifetime. You got to go around the world, so why can't I do this?"

Daisy frowned, the feeling of being cornered closing in around her. Misty had a point though, she grudgingly admitted. "Okay, but I like, want you back here in oh, like a year from now."

"A year?"

"That like, seems long enough, to me."

"That seems," Misty paused. "Rather drastic to me."

"Well, how like are we supposed to take care of the gym like, without you?" Daisy accused.

"Well, I could see if Tracey could stay for a spell, help things get back to normal and what not," Misty threw Daisy a conspiratorial wink. "That way you could have your prince for those mermaid princess scenarios."

Daisy flushed beet red. "You like, drive a hard bargain Misty. Shame you can't get, like past first base with, like that Ash kid."

This time, it was Misty's turn to turn red. "Shut up Daisy," she growled, wishing for a moment that she could reach through the video screen and slap her sister on the back of her head. She shoved the accusation roughly aside, to avoid the impression that it affected her. "Now about my pokemon. . ."

"You can't like, take all of our strong ones."

"Considering that all the strong ones _are_ mine, I think I have a right to them. I'm taking Gyarados, Corsola, Politoed, Starmie, Azurill and," she grinned wickedly. "Amora."

Daisy gasped. "You can't take Amora!"

"I raised him thank you very much."

"Thanks to a fluke," Daisy grumbled. "She's like our main attraction now!"

"You have all the others to help along. I raised Amora and I should be able to, by all rights, take her with me. You know it and I know it. Besides, Amora is a 'he', remember? Stop giving him a gender identity crisis."

Daisy sunk into her chair. "Fine. We get Starmie though."

"That will leave me with five pokemon," Misty pointed out.

"Then take your Psyduck. We can't babysit that pokemon while we're busy."

"I can't take Psyduck."

"Then we get Amora back."

Misty bit the inside of her cheek, thinking. She sighed in the face of inevitable defeat. "Okay then. I'll take Psyduck with me."

"Good, I'll send over Amora, like, right now and you send over, like, Starmie, now."

"It's as good as done."

"Okay." Daisy hesitated for a heartbeat, but finally said. "Be safe, okay Misty?"

"I promise."

"Alright. Like, see you later."

"Bye Daisy." Misty hung up the phone, automatically turning off the videophone. It was at that moment that Tracey waltzed by, a drink in his hand.

"Was that Daisy, or one of the other sisters?"

"Daisy." Misty slowly turned around in her chair. "How do you feel about taking a little, "vacation" in Cerulean?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The glade behind Professor Oak's lab was more than large enough to do training, Blaidd determined, gazing and taking in the surroundings with his crimson eyes. He turned his gaze back to Ash, who stood about twenty yards away waiting. His hat and jacket were tossed aside on decrepit stump and dark stains on his black shirt indicated signs of a recent workout. His hair was slick with sweat.

"Again!" Blaidd barked. "And this time, _concentrate!"_

Ash closed his eyes, feeling the Aura rush through his veins, like the time before and the time before that. It was like he had a second set of blood vessels, pumping and channeling the mystical energy through his being. He spread his hands apart, fingers splayed, and concentrated, imaging the Aura form into a dense sphere. He felt a trickle of sweat running down his nose and cheekbone, but he tried to brush it aside; any distractions would cause him to fail, as it had before. He could hear the chatter of his friends in the background, a mixture of fuzzy voices. They had come to watch, to pass the time. Professor Oak had helped purchase visas and tickets to visit Orre; only a handful of tourists and people were allowed into Orre each year. With Professor Oak vouching for them, they managed to secure three year visas and tickets to the nearest ferry, which was leaving in two weeks.

"Good, good!" Blaidd called out, barely registered by his senses. He had to focus, focus all his willpower into this; he wasn't going to fail again.

The energy swirled and churned, dancing with little arcs of blue plasma under his fingertips. He widened his hands, allowing the Aura room to grow. He was doing it, he realized. He was doing it!

"Aahhh!" he bellowed, unleashing the energy, his eyes flickering open to watch as the sphere rocketed across the glade. Unfortunately, the sphere wasn't very big, fizzling out after about ten yards. He flopped back on the grass, exhausted and dejected.

"I'll never get it," he moaned, his hands resting on his knees. He could see the tendrils of Aura racing on his hands and wrists, until they too, fizzled out.

"Back up, Ash," Blaidd commanded. "And try it again. You did much better, but you have to increase the density of your Aura Sphere. Aura has a natural tendency to go back into its natural surroundings; that's why and how people can draw it from the environment. No matter what the size of the sphere, it's never going to do any damage if it's thin and wispy. Watch this." Blaidd turned to a tree branch that was sticking out, just above Gary's head. Blaidd extended a paw and slowly but surely, a roiling, but small, Aura Sphere was shaping itself in the palm of his paw.

Gary watched with apprehension; after all, the target was a foot and a half above his head. "Um, should I move away?" he asked, jerking a thumb upwards.

"Only if you don't trust me," Blaidd replied, watching the branch intently. Then, he thrust his arm forward, flinging the Aura Sphere forward with such momentum, a faint stream of sizzling Aura trailed behind it like a miniature comet. The Aura Sphere, which was no more than four inches across, struck the branch where it met the tree trunk. There was a resounding crack and the branch broke off the tree, sending leaves everywhere. Gary yelped in surprise and covered his head as the branch crashed to the ground behind him. Blaidd turned back to Ash. "See? Your Aura Sphere does not have to be large by any margin. It's how much Aura is pumped into the Sphere."

Ash nodded slowly. He had been doing this all afternoon. Right now, all he wanted was to rest. "I wish I had those gloves again."

Blaidd shook his head. "Those gloves won't make you any better, you know. Those gloves were designed to enhance natural talent. You have the talent, you don't need accessories to make you stronger."

"What made those gloves stronger?" Brock asked, recalling those blue gloves from Rota.

"They had shards of a mineral called Auranite, a very rare mineral found in small amounts around the regions. It looks very much like lapis lazuli, but instead of gold flecks, the blue stone has flecks of silver, greens and reds. Even in small amounts, it can increase a person's natural affinity for Aura by tenfold. The Auranite in Sir Aaron's gloves was about the size of a person's pinky fingernail."

Brock let out a whistle, looking down at his own hand; the Auranite had to have been very small indeed.

"I've heard of rare mineral that have supernatural effects," Gary remarked, still trying to get the leaves and pieces of bark out of his hair. "I mean, stones like Moon stones, fire stones, water stones and so on have supernatural effects on pokemon, so why not things for people?" Of course, as he mentioned this, Drew rolled his eyes, earning an elbow to the side from May.

"Jeez May," he said, nursing his side.

"Well then, stop being rude."

"Maybe we should take a break," Blaidd said, watching the pair quarrel. "It is getting late, I believe."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

He studied the weathered map stretched across his lap intently, contemplating. He would be in the other room, where his former Master sat, like a king, but he had turned it into a smoldering ruin, courtesy of his furret, who was curled at his feet. He had sent a group of grunts, collected from the shattered remnants of Team Rocket, Team Aqua, Team Magma, and Team Galactic, to rebuild the room, as designed by Archer. Thin streaks of starlight streamed into the room through a large window, before they were swallowed up by the artificial light. His armor and weapon, a thin sword crowned with carnelians, like his dagger, sat in the corner of the room, the light a ruddy glow on the half plate armor, giving it the appearance like it glowed from within.

"Stella," he began, not lifting his eyes from the map.

"Sir?" she asked. Her injuries from her clash with Blaidd had long since healed, though she was left with a slight limp as a result. She wore her black armor like she had on that night, her tulwar replaced and resting at her side. Her cold brown eyes watched her master as he worked, her long hair obscuring her Mediterranean-like features.

"Tell me, did we ever discover what happened to the boy? Ash?"

"We've haven't been able to mount search parties since the assault on Rota. We lost too many soldiers to spare the living ones."

"Ah." Captain Reynard Archer, head of the illicit organization, leaned to one side, resting his chin on his hand. A unbidden shiver went down Stella's spine; Archer was fickle and ruthless, known for slaying his superior and those who disobeyed or failed him. His temper had begun to become more erratic since the battle of Rota. "And what of his Aura signature? Can we track it?"

"We've tried, but the few Aura Readers we have are unable to pinpoint his exact location. It's like something pulled the wool over their eyes."

"So we're blind then." His voice was calm, but dangerous, like an asp sliding over the rock.

"Essentially, sir." she added.

"Stella, do you know the Prophecy? All of it?"

"Almost."

"Recite it to me."

Stella took a deep breath and began, her voice tremulous:

"_When the last summer moon fades,_

_And when the last star falls,_

_The Sun of the Night_

_Must heed the call._

_His blood shall be shed,_

_On the stone of night._

_To end the war._

_Giving all his might._

_The Treasure in his hands_

_In the temple of the Sun,_

_Hidden in the sands_

_Where no rivers run._

_Walking on the desert sands,_

_From the land of the Eastern Sun,_

_Fire in his palms,_

_Known as the Chosen One._

_Eight at his side,_

_The human who is not,_

_Serving the Lord of Indigo,_

_The temple that is sought."_

Archer sat upright suddenly as Stella quoted the last verse. He held up a hand, stopping her. "Repeat the last verse for me." Stella did as she was told, her voice hanging as the last words tumbled out of her mouth. Archer tossed his head back and laughed, dark blond hair rocking back and Stella wondered if he had truly gone mad. "Now, why didn't I see it before?"

"What sir?"

"The Lord of Indigo is a reference to the tribes of Orre. The natives name their tribes after colors of the rainbow. The boy is going to Orre."

"He is?"

"The Lord of Indigo couldn't be referring to something else, could it?" The tone in his voice was like he was tempting her to defy him.

"Well. . ."

Just as she started, someone stormed into the room, his heavy lab coat flapping behind in the wind. He adjusted his glasses as he blurted out, "Master Archer! Master Archer!"

"Now what?" Archer snarled waspishly, irritable.

"We were going over Giovanni's computer records and we uncovered something interesting!"

"Like what? He had a stash of pornography?" Archer drawled, much to Stella's chagrin. Archer's furret uncurled himself from his resting position and giving the interrupter of his nap a menacing glare.

The scientist seemed flustered for a moment, running a hand through his unruly, greasy brunette hair. "No, not that. It, it involves experiments."

"Of what sort?"

"One discusses the process of creating a pokemon cloned from the Legendary Pokemon Mew's DNA. It would seem that the pokemon went berserk and destroyed the lab it was created in, but the blueprints of its creation remain in the system. If we wanted to, we could replicate the results of the experiment."

I heard of Giovanni's little 'experiment'. Rumor was that his creation gave him a mind wipe, and Giovanni now has no memory of this 'creation', if it even exists still. Clones have horribly short lifespans." Archer stroked the blond stubble that was growing on his chin. "You said one experiment. Are there others?"

"Yes, there are." The scientist then took a sudden interest in the black smooth floor under his boots."

Archer waved a hand, shaking the scientist from his trance. "And?"

"It talks about something called 'graft hybrids'. The experiments consist of grafting Pokemon DNA to human's, augmenting their powers and morphing their features, making them look like hybrids. The process was dangerous and the best results occurred when the pokemon DNA to human embryos and fetuses. However, they did achieve somewhat successful outcomes with full grown adults though. They didn't live long though, due to the bombardment of radiation during the process in order for the DNA strands to mutate and accept the foreign DNA. You see-"

"I don't need to know how it works, but the fact that it did work, well..." Archer's curiosity was now piqued. The ability to create living weapons at his disposal was like the carrot hanging in front of the cart horse. "I want you to start up those experiments again."

The scientist's eyebrows nearly met up with the edge of his hairline. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I have the opportunity of the lifetime, to create the ultimate weapon and have the power of Aura at my mercy with an army of these so called graft hybrids at my back. Start the experiments up again."

"But the equipment, the technology-" the scientist protested.

"Can be easily obtained from Team Rocket's labs."

"And the test subjects?"

Archer flashed a smile that would chill a serial killer. Stella would have sworn that his teeth transformed into daggers. "We have plenty of Rocket grunts. Let's use them, I'm sure they'll know what they're doing."

The scientist gulped uneasily and started to scurry out of the room when Archer stopped him. "I need you to do a special project for me."

The scientist turned his head back around, lab coat hanging heavily him, like the garb of an executioner. "And what is that?"

"I want you to replicate this clone's DNA for me. Inform me when you replicated them and the results of the Graft Hybrid Project, as it will be called."

The scientist bowed. "Yes, Master Archer." With that he fled the room. The chamber was filled with an heavy silence. Stella spoke first.

"If I may speak, sir."

"Go ahead."

"What are you planning, with the DNA?"

"If I must become the mot powerful man on this planet, I have to start somewhere."

"But by grafting the DNA of the clone onto yours? It could kill you."

"That's why I said _after_ the experiments prove successful."

"Which could be years."

"Must you question my every move?"

"Only if it concerns the stability of our organization. If word gets out on what you are planning on doing, then some might consider you insane and try to usurp you."

"Your paranoia moves me," Archer remarked sarcastically. He slowly got up and sauntered to Stella. He tipped her chin up and he leaned close. "You know what I like about you Stella?" he purred into her ear. "Your concern and dedication to our cause. I should reward you for it."

She nodded. "I am only a soldier, not a zealot or martyr."

"I know." Archer pulled away, eying her lithe, yet curvy form. "I know very well." He walked to the large window. He observed the waves crashing onto the rocks below. He folded his hands behind his back. "Assemble a team of our best soldiers. We're taking a little trip into Orre. There has been a group of men I've had my eye on for some time. . ."

Stella turned and walked away, as Archer droned on; she had to assemble Archer's group and fast, although she had to wonder if the lust for power had gone to Archer's head or that was how all leaders acted. Either way, she would serve him until she met her grave.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_He saw the visions fly before his eyes. The sands of his homeland stretched before him. Many would say that the desert was lifeless, but he would say otherwise. Life was there, you just had to look beyond the surface._

_ But now the sands were running red with the blood of war._

_ Two armies struggled on the sands, like two massive beasts striving to find a foothold, their masses colliding and flucuating. The screams of his people rang in his ears like the winds that raged in the desert at night. The scent of copper was prominent in his nostrils, even though that he knew that this wasn't real. It was only a vision, nothing more, brought on by the consumption of a herb known as the Dreamweaver. _

_ And suddenly, the armies parted, the seas of flesh and metal cleaving in two. Two men step out from the miasma of war. Both had the features of Outlanders. One was tan, with brown eyes, blue flickering on the edges of his irises. The man-though he would describe him more like a boy-was dressed in the garb of the Holohians, bare footed, with only a shard of deep blue crystal shoved in his belt. Flames the color of Ho-Oh's deepest blue sky danced upon his skin, flames trailing off his fingers like molten slag from a forge. He reeked of nobility, but he knew that this...boy, was no native tribesmen._

_ The other man was a monstrosity. Half of his body was fused with some sort of. . .monster, violet and angry. Ho-Oh would see him as a monstrosity, an abomination to his very design. Black fire spewed from him, as it licked across the desert, colliding into the blue flame. Both sizzled and writhed, seeking control. The monster man laughed to the sky, an insane throaty cry to the heavens, as if daring the Rainbow God to smite him._

_ Then, it started to rain. . ._

" Avoloh! Avoloh!" A young man, still gawky with the throes of adolescence, charged into the tent, shaking the seer from his herbal induced trance.

Avoloh, the seer, flashed his eyes opened. As it was with all Holohians, they were a deep mahogany. He straightened his white pants and looked up. "What is it?" he snapped. The vision was beginning to slip away from him like sand through his fingers.

"The Temple Fathers, they wish to speak with you," the adolescent said in a rush. His white shirt and skirt, trimmed with fiery orange thread, were in disarray and his long black hair was errant and wild. Clearly, this was more important that Avoloh expected.

"About what?" He growled. The last faint traces of the Dreamweaver were fading from his senses; if he wished to recover the vision, he would have to take another dose of the rare herb.

"They didn't tell me, but I heard it was with the Gift of the White Prophet!"

_That_ got Avoloh's attention. "The Gift? It is stirring?"

The teen nodded vigorously. "Could it be the Prophecy of Blue Flame?" he asked eagerly.

"Do I look like one of the Fathers?" Avoloh replied, getting up from his seating position. He reached for his white robe, trimmed with white thread in intricate patterns, indicating his tribal origins, the White Tribe, the Tribe of All Colors, also known as the Eighth Tribe. He pulled back his hair with a white ribbon and whistled for his pokemon, a mightyena, near decrepit with age. _"Just like myself," _he thought sardonically. Avoloh reached for his staff resting near the flap of his round tent. He followed the young man outside, to the Temple of the Rainbow God, Ho-Oh. As Avoloh reached the outside, he unconsciously glanced upwards, as if expecting rain. He paused for a few moments as part of the vision came back to him. Maybe he didn't need the Dreamweaver after all.

"Avoloh?" the man asked tentatively. "Are you alright?"

"Hmm?" Avoloh shook his head, to shake the feeling of premonition. "Yes, yes, I'm alright. Let's get going."

"_At least, as long as the Rainbow Lord allows it so."_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

You could say that Archer's slowly going off the deep end, sort of like the song "The Madness of King Scar" XD. But it will be seen even more in the later parts of the story and more prominently, in the third Book.

** The Dreamweaver herb consumed by Avoloh the shaman draws heavily from the peyote plant, which is consumed by Native Americans. While the peyote is a small cactus like plant, the Dreamweaver is a leafy looking herb, with spindly branches that are a pale gray color. The leaves of the Dreamweaver are small and teardrop in shape, pointing upwards to minimize sunlight exposure and hence evaporation. In the spring time, small fiery red blossoms, in bunches, appear. The flower is then harvested and dried, only to then be used as a psychoactive incense for the Holohian shamans. The roots have similar effects, but not nearly as extreme as the flowers. The Holohians do not consume the flower directly, as it would kill yhem, but it is burned and the smoke inhaled. The root though, is brewed in a tea like drink called the _"Ariki". _Only the shamans, tribal chiefs and prominent warriors may consume the beverage, and even then, before a major event or battle.**

** The character of Stella is inspired by Stella Bonesera, a character of the totally amazing, completely awesome, show CSI: New York. I mean, it had Lt. Dan in it, what much more than you want? Sadly though, the actress who plays Stella in the show is leaving *sniffles*. However, Stella (sort of) live on here. Both Stellas look alike and both are loyal to their organizations, but that's where it ends. I'll enjoy working with my Stella in the future, she'll have a lot of development. Interesting little tidbit there.**


	6. Chapter 6 Pirates of Orre

Chapter 6: Pirates of Orre

**Warning: the following chapter gets a little graphic with its violence. Not enough to turn it into a 'M' rated fic, but enough to make the squeamish feel a little green.**

**Also, many of the readers have been wondering whether Wes from "Pokemon Coliseum" is going to participate in the story. Unfortunately, he is not; however, Team Cipher does have a role in the story, so I guess that's a consolation prize *shrugs*. There is also the question of where Orre is located in the pokemon world, since even the Orre maps from the game contradict each other. During my research, I determined that Orre is located in the same landmass as Johto and Kanto, in the northwest corner of the continent. using the PokeEarth map on , so for those who are wondering, the map can help provide references.**

**And now back to your regularly scheduled programming **

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The sun beat down on the ocean, bands of light playing on the depths and waves. The weather was clear, with only a few clouds that looked more like stray strands of cotton candy than cloud. While the weatherman had warned of storm clouds on the way, there was no reason to worry or to cause concern. It was only on closer inspection that there was the mild scent of rain in the air, but the balmy sea air overpowered it until it was only a note in the background.

"Ah, this is the life!" Drew sighed as he stretched in his beach chair, virgin mai tai in his hand. "I could do this forever and a day! Too bad none of our other journeys could start this way, huh May?" He idly blew a strand of tea-green hair from his face and adjusted his sunglasses. He was wearing nothing more than a pair of deep blue, almost black swim trunks. His sandals were tossed to the side, in addition to his pokeballs.

"Then go stay on your parents' yacht," May replied, taking a sip of her lemonade. "I'm sure they would mind that better than you traveling everywhere." She had opted for a pale green halter top bikini, with a tiny palm tree on the lower part. When they had discovered that the ship Professor Oak had booked was a miniature luxury ship—it was the earliest one going to Orre—the girls, mainly Dawn, had insisted on buying a new swimsuit, even though they were heading for a desert, with nary a swimming pool or lake in sight. Gary even volunteered to help the girls choose, but promptly received a boot to the head, courtesy of Misty.

"Wait, his parents have a _yacht_?" Dawn said, leaning over May, eyes nearly boggling out of her head. She had gone with a blue string bikini, a blue that seemed to scintillate with the varying shades of the blue spectrum. Piplup was resting against the arms of the beach chair, wearing a pair of miniature Ray Bans, asleep. "Does that mean that they're rich?"

"Loaded," May said, winking.

"Does that make you a gold digger?" Gary asked. He was sitting on the other side of Dawn, eyes closed, hands resting on his chest. His trunks were black, with red and gold flame designs licking the edges.

"What?"

"Does that make you a gold digger? You sounded, hmm eager, when you mentioned it- Ow!" Gary sat upright, indignant, when a sandal landed against the side of his head and onto his lap.

"Stop corrupting our youth, Gary," Misty remarked as she walked by,deftly retrieving her errant sandal from his lap. "They're too young to understand." She had gone with her old swimsuit, reluctant to spend money; May and Dawn had been strangely disappointed.

"Understanding being one of them," Drew muttered into May's ear, looking slyly at Dawn, who seemed oblivious.

"I'm not that young," Dawn huffed.

"Course not," May offered.

Misty leaned against the railing. Her sandals clicked against the wood paneled deck as she watched the waves, small as they were, beat against the ship. The captain had insisted that pokemon not already out of their balls were allowed on the deck or the cabins. "The last thing I want," he had growled, bushy mustache moving with a life of its own. "is for some ten-year-old getting the brilliant idea of having a pokemon battle on my pristine decks! Battles are messy and destructive and I _will_ make you pay for the damages!" Misty smiled as she recalled the mustache, still twitching and quivering long after he had finished speaking.

"Hey, has anybody seen Ash?" Brock asked, strolling on the deck. He was wearing and earthy green pair of trunks, with khaki pockets.

"Either sulking because he can't have a battle," Gary answered. "Or he's with Blaidd, doing some training exercise or another. That lucario can be pretty anal retentive about training sometimes."

"That could explain where Max is too," Brock nodded. "He likes to hang around Blaidd."

"If only to give him chocolate," May said. "That chocolate's going to make Blaidd fat."

"Not so long as I keep exercising," Blaidd said, Ash and Max in tow. Pikachu Misty craned her head over her shoulder, watching them.

"Looks like we found them Brock," She observed, head gesturing towards the trio.

"Did I miss anything?" Ash asked, bounding with seemingly boundless energy towards Misty. Pikachu followed behind, only to leap into Misty's arms.

"Only Gary calling May a gold digger."

"I was only stating a fact," Gary joked, taking off his sunglasses.

"Well actually, since I spoil May enough, she can't really be a gold digger that you speak of," Drew drawled.

May crossed her arms. "You don't spoil me at all!"

"What, red roses aren't enough?"

"He gives you flowers!" Dawn exclaimed. "I wish I had a guy to do that," she wished.

"What about Conway?" Brock said. "He liked you enough."

"Let's not go there, shall we?"

"Who's Conway?" Gary inquired. Misty noted a slight edge in his tone.

Brock explained. "A guy who has a crush on Dawn."

"But kind of creepy though," Dawn added.

Gary raised an eyebrow. "Oh really now?" Misty at this point, was now fit to break into giggles.

_"Is Gary_ jealous?_"_ Misty wondered.

"Um guys?" Ash interrupted, pointing over the side. "Are those boats part of this ship?"

Misty looked over, Pikachu still in her arms. There were three speed boats circling the luxury ship, like sharpedos surrounding wounded prey. The denizens of the boats were heavily tan, with torn clothes and armed to the teeth with weapons of varying variety and quality; they all looked sharp though. The luxury ship came to a slow, then to a stand still as one of the boats threw a grappling hook, the iron prongs landing just by Ash's other hand. A screech filled the air. A half dozen fearows, ridden by men carrying machetes, swooped onto the deck. Dawn was the first to speak, well, more like shriek.

"Pirates!"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The skiff bounced off the water, using only the pale light of the stars to light the way. He was long used to the faint light, for if he used any artificial light whatsoever, he would draw unwanted attention to himself, notably the Coast Patrol of Orre, who did not look kindly on smugglers. Marcetto was a skilled small arms smuggler, with nearly twenty years of experience under his belt, so to speak. He had little little scruples for whom he sold his weapons to; the highest bidder was the best customer, he would always say.

But when Giovanni Raketta, head of Team Rocket, personally offered to pay him handsomely for his services, ie, smuggling himself and three other members into Orre, he hesitated.

It wasn't that he was suspicious—as he said, the highest bidder is the best customer—it was the fact that among the darker circles of society, someone by the name of Archer had placed a bounty on Giovanni's head, along with the capture of any other Team Rocket grunts. Marcetto didn't want anybody to find out that he had assisted the Rocket head, because then it would be his head, instead of Giovanni's, and Marcetto liked his head where it was at.

But when Giovanni offered him enough money for Marcetto enough money to retire comfortably, without want or need, in cash, Marcetto just couldn't refuse. Money had always been his weakness.

"Now, keep yer heads low," Marcetto whispered to the stowaways. "The last thing I want is for somebody to discover that I'm smugglin' people into Orre. They like human smugglers even less than regul'r smugglers." Giovanni gave a curt nod. The three, with Meowth, were hidden away in a secret storage room hidden by boards of the deep bellied skiff's deck. "Ya see, I heard rumors that some of them Orre Patrol is gettin' paid under the table to bring in smugglers, some sort of bounty. Then, them smugglers disappear fer good. Like somebody took them away."

"That's nice to know," James muttered darkly, then yelped. "Cramp, ow! Cramp!"

"Will youse quit whinin'?" Meowth hissed. "You've been whinin' for the whole time we've been on the boat!"

"It is a bit small for my tastes," Jessie shrugged.

Giovanni turned to face the three. "I could toss you over the boat right now, if it's room you want."

The trio frantically shook their heads. "No, we're good!" James chirped as he saluted smartly.

"Very well then. And be quiet!"

Marcetti shook his head, then turned his attention back to the ocean and its currents, feeling the wind ruffle his sun bleached red hair. Tonight was to be tricky, he heard, for the ocean currents changed with the advent of autumn. While the other regions experienced mild autumns, Orre went through a sudden change of weather, turning almost to winter overnight, starting with the currents, which changed rapidly, bringing cooler air and water with it. With the type of boat he had, he wouldn't normally worry about such a thing, but with valuable passengers and the rumors of the Coast Patrol of Orre stepping up their patrols, Marcetto Andretti wanted to be as careful as he humanly could. He glanced upward, at the limitless expanse of stars.

_"What did I get myself into?"_ he wondered.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The luxury cruise liner burst into chaos as the pirates seemed to swarm the ship. Ash backed off as one leering pirate, wicked notched machete in hand swung at him. Ash narrowly jumped back as the blade whistled just centimeters away from his chest. The pirate swung again, and this time Ash was ready for him. He twisted away from the second swing and closed his eyes, for that split second to activate his Aura vision. When he opened his eyes again, everything was rimmed with the blue flickering flames. Ash could see the ghost image of the pirate making his move again, this time, for Misty, who was reaching back to snatch her pokeballs out of her bag, which was feet away. Ash lunged, grabbing the hand holding the machete.

"Nice try," he growled, digging his fingers into the man's wrist and twisted. Ash had little experience in fights, but with the Aura Sight helping him out, everything seemed instinctual, almost. The machete clattered out of the pirate's wrist and Ash drove him to the ground, twisting the man's arm painfully as he did so. Ash felt the adrenaline and Aura pumping through his veins and he gave a sudden yank, barely hearing the snapping of bone of the man's forearm. Ash shoved him aside and elbow blocked a second pirate, who had a hatchet in each hand.

Misty, meanwhile, had managed to reach for her bag, pulling out two pokeballs. "Come on out, Gyarados and Amora!" There were two flashes of light and the blue serpentine dragon form of Gyarados appeared in the water, sending waves in all directions. Gyarados bared its fangs and screamed a blood curdling battle cry, eager to enter battle. The second pokemon was a pokemon Ash had only seen once before, during the battle the the Dragon type Gym Leader, Clair. The body was distinctly seahorse shaped, with thick golden-yellow belly scutes and a long snout. Two horns that looked like coral branches protruded from behind its fierce eyes. A single branch like fin sprouted from its back.

"Kinggggg!" The kingdra screeched.

"Gyarados, use your flamethrower attack. Amora, use your dragon pulse!" Misty commanded. Gyarados complied with a sadistic glee, sending a gout of flames onto one of the boats. Men screamed as they tried to get away from the torrent of fire. The boat as up in flames immediately and the acrid scent of burning things filled the air. Kingdra on the other hand, attacked the second boat. A orb of turquoise energy formed just in front of its mouth and with a thrust, sent the orb whizzing over the water, into the hull of the second boat. Water filled it quickly. Gyarados, bored with the first boat, turned his attention to the second one, thrashing and ravaging anybody in his path. Wood flew and scattered about like toothpicks and splinters.

May, Drew, Dawn, Gary and Brock found themselves backed against the wall of the cabin, surrounded by many pirates. "Well," May remarked. "I'd never thought I would find myself fighting pirates in a bikini."

"There's always a first time for everything." Drew retorted, slugging one of the pirates in the face, feeling the satisfying crack of teeth and nose. The pirate staggered back, clutching his broken and bloody nose.

"Piplup!" Dawn shouted. "Use whirlpool to sweep away these pirates!"

The tiny penguin, who had been hiding under one of the deckchairs, popped out, seeing Dawn in danger. He raised his tiny flippers and a whirlpool of great girth and swirling water appeared. "Piiiiipluuuuuup!" Piplup flung the whirlpool over his head and into the crowd of pirates and like a bowling ball into a group of pins, the pirates scattered either consumed by the torrent or were blown over the side and the railings, only to face the wrath of a blood thirsty Gyarados, his eyes red from battle lust. As the group of marauders were flung away, May took the opportunity to reach down, behind Drew, to grab both her and Drew's pokeballs. She slung Drew's bag and flung it to him.

"Catch!" Drew caught the bag deftly and pulled a single ball out, just as a hyper beam, courtesy of one of the corsair fearows, struck a part of a cabin, blasting it apart. The group, once pinned with their backs to it, were forced to scatter to avoid the shower of twisted wood and metal. He pitched the ball into the air, summoning his flygon. "Alright Flygon, let's finish this!" He mounted the desert spirit pokemon, still in his swimsuit, and the dragon launched into the sky.

Gary snarled as he rolled away from the explosion, realizing his pack was now underneath the wreckage. He made a move for it, only to bite his lip in pain. Splinters from the explosion had managed to embed themselves into his bare back. He gritted his teeth and dove for the pile, determined to get it. Drew was outnumbered six to one in the air, and he had the one that could help even the odds, if only by a little. But as he scoured through the rubble, ignoring the throbing pain in his back, he heard a scream and all was forgotten. He whirled around.

"Dawn!"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Max!" Blaidd bellowed over the chaos. "Stay behind me!" Max cowered behind the pokemon. Pikachu and Ash had since run off to fight their own fight, and the others were too far to reach them in time. Blaidd allowed the Aura to wash over him like a tidal wave and Max watched with wide eyes as the lupine pokemon was covered with a blue aura. The pirates surrounding them, were aback for only a moment but regained their composure.

One leered. "Looks like this one'll make a pretty penny on th' market, eh boys?" The others sniggered.

Blaidd flashed a dangerous smile, showing his canines. "Not today."

"Oh looks, 'e talks!" Another giggled hysterically.

Blaidd whirled on him in a flurry of blue and black, his paw glowing blue as he struck the man's trachea with the flat of his paw. The corsair's trachea was crushed and he flew back, only to land in a crumpled heap. Blaidd turned to the rest, paws clenching and unclenching.

"Yes, I do," he snarled. "Who's next." The pirates, four of them, charged.

Blaidd nimbly pirouetted on one foot and sent his other leg careening into one man's diaphragm, as he launched an aura sphere, the size of an unactivated pokeball into another's upraised arm, breaking his arm and tearing the muscles. He then spun an one eighty, still keeping Max close to him and blocked a hand wielding a rusty machete. He grasped the wrist of said hand and squeezed slowly, almost sadistically, on the pressure point in the forearm. The machete clattered to the ground, but Blaidd still had a grip on the man's wrist. With a roar, he heaved the man across the deck with an inhuman strength, over the railing and into the ocean.

"Surrender you mongrel!" The leering pirate cried out. "Or I swear I'll cut the boy! I swear I will!" Blaidd whipped around to find in horror that the pirate had captured Max, holding the squirming boy by one arm, a wicked looking knife to his throat. "I'll cut him if you don't surrender!"

"Max!" Blaidd shouted.

"Blaidd!" The squirming boy shrieked, fear audible in his tone. The pirate jabbed the knife, cutting Max slightly. Blood trickled from the miniscule cut. "Help me!"

Blaidd raised one hand slowly, until it was level with his eyes. He spread his fingers and warned, "You're going to wish you didn't do that." The blue aura then started to turn violet, then his eyes, flaring an almost eerie blue. The pirate glowed blue, which then died away.

"What are you doin'!" The pirate claimed in horror. The lucario said nothing and started to squeeze his hand. The marauder gasped as a wave of sharp pain went through his skull. The pain soon became unbearable and his eyes were practically bulging out of his head. He couldn't get air as his lungs slowly collapsed in on themselves. His skull felt like it was going to burst and blood began to pour into his now collapsed lungs and swollen brain. He sunk to the ground with a gurgle as blood leaked from his orifices, knife and Max slipping from his hands. The man died as he fell like a puppet whose strings were cut. Max ran to Blaidd. He looked on to the dead pirate with a mix of revulsion and distress in his eyes.

"What, what did you do?" he gasped, tears forming.

"Psychic." Blaidd stated calmly, as if he did this everyday. "Are you alright now?" He asked with concern.

"Yeah," he sniffed. "I think."

"Let's get you somewhere safe now, okay?" Blaidd ushered Max away from the scene, inside, where no one could hurt him.

Not as if anybody tried.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

** The lesson here folks: don't mess with Blaidd; he'll find a way to turn your insides into meat jelly without blinking an eye.**

** And as for the other surprise, Misty's Kingdra, well, that has some interesting origins. I was trying to figure out another pkmn for her team, so I went back into her history, trying to recall all of her critters and I came across little horsea. Sweet adorable little horsea from the gym.**

** So I gave it a makeover. A big one.**

** By logical chain of events, it would be safe to say that horsea evolved at least one stage by the time of this story. How it got to be a Kingdra, I'll reveal later.**


	7. Chapter 7:The Prophecy of Sir Arrowheart

Chapter 7: The Prophecy of Sir Arrowheart

**Good news: There's less violence in this chapter. It does though, have a dash of romance and some new revelations and twists.**

** And where have all my reviewers gone? I missed you guys.**

The ship had erupted into chaos. Gary, who had rummaging through the rubble of the partly destroyed cabin when he heard a shriek. He spun around, to find Dawn facing against one of the raiders, who happened to be bearing two crude hatchets. He ignored his pack and raced towards her, tackling the pirate around his waist. The pair tumbled to the ground and started a scuffle. Gary kneed the man in the groin and reached for one of the hatchets, which had skittered away in the fight. He jerked back when the man swung his remaining hatchet, barely missing his jugular. Gary finally managed to pin the man's hand down and punched him across the face, striking the side of his head in the process. The man went limp, unconscious. Gary got up, wincing as his back flared up again. It was going to be a long night with the tweezers. He reached for the hatchet, just in case another tried to attack him. He hefted the weapon experimentally.

"Gary!" Dawn ran to him, Piplup tagging behind her. "He didn't hurt you, did he? Are you okay?"

Gary flexed his knuckles on his free hand. "I'm okay, save for some splinters."

Dawn sagged in relief, but then straightened herself out. "That had to be the dumbest idea that you've ever done! You could have killed yourself! What were you thinking!"

He shrugged. "Hey, I saved you life, didn't I?" The battle was starting to die down, allowing them to talk.

"In the dumbest way possible! I mean seriously, what are you, some football player!"

He winked. "Just a really good looking researcher."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.

The battle was starting to die down, with fewer and fewer marauders trying to breech the boat. Someone in the crew had managed to call the Orre patrol, but they would only be able to arrive nearly and hour later, too much time to spare. Ash panted heavily as he surveyed the chaos. There were only a handful of boats left, but Misty and her team were taking care of those, leaving Ash to deal with those who attempted to board. He dodged one attempt from one carrying a grappling hook and a toothless smile, and snatched up a deck chair. He swung it with all his might and struck the man across the face. If he had any teeth left they were now going down his gullet. Using the same deck chair, he gave it a toss, catching another by his legs and forcing him to crash face down into the wooden deck.

His Aura Sight was now starting to flicker in and out and he realized that he had been overexerting himself; however, when he dropped out of Aura Sight, that was when he noticed blue flames flickering across his skin, like armor encasing his flesh. "That's weird," he mumbled. He saw a cut on his arm, a long shallow one, get swallowed by the flames and he watched in amazement as the flames healed his flesh, like he had done to Misty's leg in the cave. "That's even weirder."

A horrifying screech caught his attention. Drew had managed to call out flygon and was battling the men on fearows. He had taken out three of them, but he was still outnumbered three to one. Ash reached for his belt to summon out Noctowl, only to realize that he was still wearing his swim trunks. That left only one option.

His Aura Sphere.

He knew that if he attempted it, it would leave him vulnerable to any would be attacker and exhaustion, but the Aura Sphere was all he had left. Besides, Blaidd wasn't to be seen.

He turned to Pikachu. "Keep me protected, okay?"

"Pika pika!"

Ash turned his eyes skyward and held out his hands, palms outward, and started to concentrate, imaging the Aura materialize into a blue orb, one capable of taking out one, maybe two riders. He saw with the corners of his eyes the Aura "armor" flow towards his hands, to form a sphere the size of a volleyball. _"It's not size, but how dense,"_ he repeated to himself, recalling Blaidd's litany, and imagined the Aura condensing. It was much harder then he thought and he could feel his knees wobbling and shaking. Wooziness was setting in and his vision was starting to darken, but he had to do it.

Then, a miracle. An Aura sphere, perfect as it could be, was created. He aimed the sphere at one of the riders and fired. The Aura Sphere whizzed towards its target and struck the Fearow at the joint where the wing met the torso. The joint snapped in half and the bird let out a shrill cry and crashed to the ground, squawking in pain as it landed heavily on its broken wing. Drew, seizing the opportunity, had flygon drive off the last two with a devastating flamethrower attack, the orange and red tongues of fire dancing in the sky. Drew flashed a thumbs up in gratitude.

Ash then sunk to the ground and fainted, barely hearing Misty's voice cry his name.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Misty gently placed a wet washcloth on his brow, waiting for him to stir from his unconsciousness. He had been that way for nearly two hours since he collapsed during the fire fight. Shortly after she witnessed him fainting, the Orre Patrol arrived and drove off the rest of the bandits. Those that were on the boat were either arrested or tossed overboard, depending on whether they were alive or not. The Patrol then insisted on taking them in on their watercraft for statements and questioning, but once Gary had mentioned that he was the grandson of Professor Oak and on a very important "research assignment", the captain of one of the patrol boats backpedaled and let them be, allowing them to leave after taking brief statements from each of them, save for Ash, who was still out from the fight.

The group, along with the survivors of the plundered boat were on a second ferry, brought by the Patrol after surveying the damage. The patrolmen also suggested for medical care, but Brock volunteered to tend to their needs and the patrol left after that.

"He'll wake up," Blaidd reassured her, tugging her away from him. "He just over stretched himself. Perhaps next time, he'll know not to strain himself." As he watched her attend to his needs, Blaidd decided to slip into his own version of Aura Sight, intrigued as to how their two Auras interacted with each other. As he studied her for a moment, he was struck at how similar the two were, and then it hit him: her's was almost a mirror image of Ash's, something he had never seen before. It was as if Misty could also be Sir Aaron's heir, even though she didn't fit the mold of the prophecy. The realization disconcerted him, to say the least.

Misty hesitated. "He always seems to get himself in these situations. He's a trouble magnet to say the least." She adjusted the washcloth. "_Somebody_ has to make sure he doesn't get himself killed," she emphasized.

"_And would that someone be you?_" Blaidd asked nonchalantly.

The washcloth nearly slipped from her grasp as he asked that. She took a deep breath. "Depends on what you mean by that," she replied, almost tense. She was uncomfortable with his use of telepathy, even though he was shielding his personal comments from outside ears.

"_I'm sure you understand what I meant."_ Blaidd's paw hovered over her forearm. _"Your Aura is very similar to his, almost identical. If he weren't Sir Aaron's heir, then I would say that you might be."_

Misty jerked her arm away. "I'm not though. Don't do that, okay?"

Blaidd's paw went to rest at his side. "As you wish then." He started to turn away, but then paused and spoke, out loud.

"I meant it, you know."

"Brock! That hurts, you know!" Gary groaned as Brock extracted another splinter from his back. Gary was lying on a table, on his stomach, as Brock extracted the splinters from the explosion earlier. All of them suffered from some minor injury or another.

Brock tapped the teen's forehead with the tweezers. "Well, if you don't stop squirming, then I can't get these out, so stop being a problem child."

Gary harrumphed and rested his head on his arms. "I'm not being a problem child," he grumbled under his breath.

"So, has Gary pitched a fit yet?" May asked as she entered the room. She was carrying a tray with mugs of green tea. Dawn entered in behind her, dressed in her pajamas. Her clothes had gotten damaged during the fight, requiring repairs on a sewing machine.

"I'm not pitching a fit yet!" Gary shouted. "Ow!"

"Now he is," Drew smirked. He was polishing up Flygon's pokeball, which had gotten smudged with soot and dirt during the fight. An ice pack was strapped to his arm, which had gotten bruised when May's Blaziken, which May had called out during the fight, accidentally clipped his arm, leaving a nasty bruise the size of a small grapefruit.

"That doesn't surprise me," Dawn teased.

Gary pointed. "Hey, I saved your life!-"

She flashed a disarming smile that stopped him mid-protest. "I know that." In a startling gesture, she leaned over and pecked him on the forehead. "Thanks." Gary's mouth dropped open, as did everybody else. She then flushed a deep red, almost, maroon, and fled the room. The room was cloaked in an awkward silence, until Drew spoke.

"Did everyone see that?" he gawked, pointing at the doorway that Dawn fled through. Gary had no acceptable answer, as his mouth was opening and closing like a beached magikarp.

Max pulled a face. "What's with all the lovely-dovey stuff?"

Drew looked him over sagely. "Kid, once hormones hit you, you'll understand someday."

"Well considering that I see you make out with my sister nearly every day-"

"Max!" May shouted, embarrassed, as Brock snickered. Drew muttered something under his breath about, "nosy little brothers".

"What's, what's going on?" Ash asked, groggy, as he slowly sat upright from his position in the chair.

"Dawn kissed Gary," Drew said matter-of-factly, like it was something he saw everyday. "and you fainted."

"Yeah, I noticed that."

"What in Acreus' name were you thinking, over exerting yourself like that!" Blaidd scolded. "You could have gotten yourself killed. What were you doing that could have made you so reckless with your own life like that?"

Ash shrugged. How could he explain the Aura that seemed to envelop him like a fiery blue cocoon, healing his injuries as he fought. "I-I don't know really. All I saw was the Aura, all around me. I don't remember much, really."

"What do you mean, "all around you"?" Blaidd asked.

"It surrounded me, all on my skin. It healed me too."

Blaidd massaged the bridge of his muzzle. "Why do you do these sort of things?"

"I don't know, it just sort of, happened."

"Ash, what you did today is called, "Aura Armor". It's a dangerous ability that should not be attempted by apprentices. How you managed to not kill yourself, I do not know."

"See? What did I say, I told you he was a trouble magnet." Misty snorted.

"I am _not_ a trouble magnet!" Ash claimed.

"Ash, everywhere you go, somebody wants to either kill you or steal from you. How can you _not _ be a beacon for trouble?"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Will you be quiet!" Blaidd shouted. The pair trailed off in their argument, chagrined. Blaidd continued. "Thank you. My point is Ash, what you did today was extremely dangerous, so don't attempt it again, okay?"

"Alright," Ash replied. "But I didn't_ mean_ to do it," he emphasized.

"I know that Ash, I know that."

"What does it do?" Max asked, curious.

"Essentially, Aura Armor, cloaks the body in a covering of Aura, absorbing attacks and healing wounds as the wearer receives them. The dangerous part of this is that it takes an extraordinary amount of Aura and extending from that, life energy, to maintain the Armor, and healing yourself as you do so. Even the stronger Aura wielders can only maintain the Armor for a few minutes, and then, only in short bursts. I cannot maintain it for long."

"Then how did Ash manage to have it for so long?" Misty asked. A flicker of a memory, of Ash cloaked in Aura, sprang to mind.

Blaidd shook his head. "I don't know; I just don't know." He pulled himself to a standing position. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go meditate on this. Ash, you'll need to meditate as well, if you wish to regain your energy as quickly as possible." The lupine pokemon left the room, cloak and staff in hand, presumably to shield himself from curious and intruding eyes.

Misty turned to Ash, arms crossed. "I still think you're a trouble magnet, despite this new discovery."

"Am not!"

Brock sighed. "For the love of. . ."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was nightfall by the time the small smuggling craft reached the shores of his cove, the one that Marcetto Andretti used to stash his wares. The moon was just staring to rise, a tiny little sliver in the sky, a slice of of silver. He pulled the craft up to the cove and his passengers, Giovanni and the other two Team Rocket members, along with the unusual talking Meowth, stepped out of his craft, stretching their limbs. Normally Marcetto would not have hidden them in the secret hideaway in his boat, but he had his reasons for doing so, one of which was keeping his head on his shoulders. It wasn't as if they were going to steal from him, nor even remember the location of the cove in the day. Nobody did, or if they did, then they didn't remember it for long.

Marcetto handed them some water canteens he had stowed away in one corner of the cove. "Here, you'll be needin' these where you're goin'. It's best to travel at night, when it's cooler," he offered, a small modicum of advice.

Giovanni gave a terse nod, passing the canteens, eight in all to the others. "We'll keep that in mind."

"So where's the reward?" Marcetto asked, eager for the monetary reward Giovanni had promised him.

The Rocket Boss frowned in displeasure at the mention, but nevertheless, pulled a slip of paper out and handed it to him. "Here. This has the account number. The Viridian City Bank is where the account is located."

Marcetto snatched the note up, like a child that received a sweet from their parent. He scrutinized the slip of paper, scanning for any discrepancies, then shoved it into his jacket pocket. The smuggler pointed towards a crevice in the cove, northward from their location. "Go through that crack there to get to the desert. You're on your own from here."

Giovanni eyed the fissure in the cove's wall, trying to see if he could see the limitless expanse of desert, but could not. The fissure seemed large enough for one person to squeeze through, forcing them to on in single file. He curtly waved for Jessie, James and Meowth to follow in behind him. Marcetto watched as they forced through the narrow gap and into the desert beyond. He shook his head, for only a madman would dare to enter the desert in such a brazen manner, especially with the tribes growing more and more restless. Marcetto had only a handful of encounters with the reclusive tribes, to trade for metal and other crafts. The encounters had been quick and brief, for the tribesmen did not wish to deal with the smuggler any longer than he wished to deal with them, but a bargain was a bargain.

Marcetto returned to his watercraft and started the engine up, roaring out of the cove as quickly as he drove in. He prayed to whomever was listening for safe passage.

And to the southeast, a shadow loomed on the horizon, cutting a clear path towards the smuggler's craft.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The ship sliced through the water with ease, despite the tumultuous currents that threatened to batter it aside. It was equipped with the latest technology, clad in the strongest armor available and the latest weapons, including harpoon guns at both the forward and aft of the ship. Inside the ship were about three dozen soldiers and their charges. The ship was heading towards an island just off the Orre coast, known simply as the Citadark Isle. Once it had been the home to an organization whose goal was to dominate the land of Orre, but now it was a shadow of its former, its cavernous halls empty save for only a few left.

And for Captain Archer, it was the perfect place to launch his assault, as soon as he either assimilated the organization, or destroyed them. Personally, he preferred the former; wiping out an entire organization with only a handful of soldiers, enhanced as they were, was a near impossible task. The leader of the "Aura Hunters"-for their "official" name was known to only a few—sat at his chair, sharpening his weapon, the carnelian encrusted sword, upon his whetstone. The weapon had been a gift to him when he was an adolescent, given to him by his weapon-master during his training in the "Aura Hunters". His armor was stolen from his weapon-master's corpse. His furret rested at his feet, one eye lazily open.

Archer grew bored with the task though, and set the glorious weapon aside. He strode across the room, used to the rocking motions of the ship, and went to his desk, where piles of scrolls and ancient manuscripts. One in particular caught his eye and he sat down in his chair, grasping the brittle manuscript as he did so. Archer studied the paper, yellowed and delicate with age, his icy blue eyes practically boring into the paper. The paper had been discovered during the looting of the previous Master's library. Allegedly it was an original copy of Sir Arrowheart's prophecy; however, the only problem was that the paper had been ripped in two sometime ago, obliterating about the last third of Sir Arrowheart's prophecy. He had been studying the paper for a while, hoping to glean some clue about the rest of the oracle, but he found none. Stella, like others who had memorized the verses actually knew about two thirds of it. The last third perturbed the man, for reasons that even he didn't knew. He had a feeling though, that the last third boded ill.

As Archer read the text for a fourth time, Stella entered the room. She wore her leathers, with a black cloak shrouding a large portion of her form. A houndoom padded silently next to her, the heat radiating off the hound like pokemon in waves.

"What is there to report?" Archer asked.

"The captain said that the currents were beginning to shift, as they always do at this time of year, but he said nothing else was out of the ordinary."

"I knew that the currents were shifting, so essentially, your report was useless."

The woman swallowed nervously. Archer seemed to be on the verge of one of his "moods". His last bout caused the death of four of their soldiers, and that had been only a few days ago. "So it would seem, sir."

Archer nodded slowly, eyes still scanning the ancient document. "Mm-hmm." He waved dismissively at her, discharging her from his presence, but she stayed, recognizing the document clenched in his hands.

"Is that the prophecy of Sir Arrowheart?" she asked, curious.

"Yes, it is. What do you know of it?"

"The Master had me memorize it when I first joined the Hunters. I remember reading the document numerous times."

"Then did you know that the last third of the Prophecy is missing?"

"Yes, I did."

"Hmmm." Archer set the paper aside, careful not to damage the venerable text. He changed the topic. "Tell me, how far are we from Citadark Isle?"

"Not long, or so the captain tells me." She hesitated. "Sir?"

"Yes?" Archer asked, his blue eyes seeming colder than ever.

"How did you know of the Indigo Lord, and that he was traveling to Orre?" Stella inquired.

"Simple. I grew up in that _desolate_ wasteland they call a region. As a boy, I read a lot, for there was nothing to do in that accursed desert. I read about the tribesmen, among other things. Then I was discovered by Hroth, the weapon-master. Remember Hroth?"

"The old swordmaster. You killed him, if I recall."

"Yes I did, didn't I?" Archer fiddled with a dagger that had been embedded in the wood of the desk. "He always did say that I would go far, wouldn't you agree?" For emphasis, he flicked his fingers and a black flame appeared the the palm of his hand. The flame flickered and danced in the palm and Stella could see the faint outline of blue. She had known that Archer was a master of the Shadow Aura, unlike herself.

_"Unknown ship appearing off the northeast!"_ A voice boomed over the intercom. Acher frowned in displeasure, but nevertheless, the man got up from his seat, grabbing his freshly sharpened blade in a single smooth motion. He gestured for Furret to follow him.

"Now, let's go see who this unknown "guest" of ours is."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The dragged Marcetto across the deck rather roughly, bruises covering the man from head to foot. The smuggler spat at the soldiers as they jeered at him, after they had gone through his wares. His latest client will be very unhappy, Marcetto realized to himself. One of the soldiers heaved him at the feet of Captain Archer, who watched the battered smuggler with cold eyes. As one of the soldiers, a woman, Marcetto noticed, called him by his name, Marcetto Andretti realized that this was the man who had been hunting Giovanni Raketta.

And for the first time, as Marcetto gazed into the cold, insane eyes of Archer's, he was afraid.

Very afraid.

"And what do we have here? A smuggler, perhaps?" Archer sneered. The soldiers hooted and hollered, clamoring for blood.

"I'm only a simple merchant," Marcetto babbled. The slip of paper Giovanni gave him felt heavy in his jacket. "Please, have mercy."

"I do not understand this word, "mercy"," Archer said and Marcetto understood that the man was putting on a show.

Archer knelt in front of Marcetto, until he looked the whimpering smuggler in the eyes. "All I have is one question for you: have you seen a boy, one by the name of Ash Ketchum? I'm searching for him, you know."

Marcetto shook his head frantically. "No, no I have not." Archer frowned, unbelieving. Marcetto shook his head again. "Honest! I don't-" His protests died in his throat as Archer's hand snaked out, grasping him by the throat and chin, holding him fast. Archer stood back up, taking the now silent Marcetto with him. The smuggler had since gone limp with fear. He knew that he was going to die soon and he would have his reckoning with Giratina when he crossed over. The hoots and hollers of the soldiers grew to a wordless din, a cacophony of noise. Marcetto happened to look into the eyes of Archer and shivered at the cold depths of the Captain's eyes. It was like gazing into an empty tundra. "Please," Marcetto wheezed raggedly.

Archer smiled and whispered, "No." The man gave a sharp twist with his hand, snapping Marcetto's neck with one clean motion. He dropped the fresh corpse to the deck and the crew fell into an uneasy silence as they saw the corpse lying there. "Toss the corpse overboard," he commanded, then went back into his cabin, leaving the soldiers to deal with the aftermath. Stella followed behind.

"What, what was that for?" she questioned, trailing behind him.

Archer stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Stealth is key in the mission, Stella. Anybody who spies us is one more person who may tell the authorities and the Orre Patrol is notorious for the methods of dealing with intruders. The fewer corpses, the better, I say." He opened the door to his personal quarters and shut it behind him in Stella's face.

She sighed at his twisted logic. _"The power's gone to his head," _she thought.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-

**Fun fact: The character of Sir Arrowheart was originally created for the original version of my story "Aura Knight". Even though that story went down the drain, the character of Sir Arrowheart was salvaged for this story.**

** So essentially, the character existed since 2003, since "Aura Knight" had its original incarnation about that time :). **


	8. Chapter 8: Truths and Realizations

Chapter 8: Truths and Realizations

**No, I'm not dead, much to the shock and awe of my reviewers. I just had finals and I wanted to spend every minute of time I had studying and making sure I got good grades on them. Thankfully, the semester is now over and I can go back and get the writing juices flowing again.**

** And please review, I miss you guys. It seemed, so, empty...**

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

"So, I got to ask," Ash began. "How did you get that Kingdra?" Their bickering had since died down, much to Blaidd's relief, and Dawn had since returned back to their quarters, but no one had mentioned the kiss, thankfully.

"No kidding," Brock agreed. "We weren't expecting that. Kingdra are very, very rare."

"Well, it was a bit of an epic saga, to say the least." Misty chuckled before settling into her seat next to May. After her conversation with Blaidd, she had avoided sitting near the Lucario, nor Ash, lest the lupine make another remark. "You guys remember when I left Horsea back at Cerulean Gym?" Ash, Brock and Pikachu nodded. "Needless to say, my sisters were elated with the new arrival. They thought it was the cutest thing since that one romance movie came out. So, they decided to give it a nickname, Amora, which means "love" or some other crap like that, they claimed.

"What they didn't realize though was that the poor pokemon was actually a "he" and they give him a girl's name, leading to a poor gender confused pokemon. But the magic wore off and they stopped training "Amora". Of course, they didn't _mean_ to abandon it, but my sisters have been known to be scatterbrained at times, including Daisy. So, I returned and they went off on their journey around the world, leaving me at the gym; I started to raise my pokemon, Horsea-slash-"Amora" included. After about a year and a half of raising him, he evolved to a Seadra during a gym battle, much to the surprise to myself and the poor kid on the other side of the battle. It was safe to say that I creamed the poor kid's entire team with Seadra. And for the next couple of years, I trained him to the best of his abilities and he became one of the best on my team.

"Then I remembered how Seadra could evolve into Kingdra, so I decided to evolve Seadra in Kingdra. There was only one problem though; as Brock said, Kingdra are very, very rare and there wasn't any "official" instruction on how to evolve them, due to their rarity. For the next year or so, I experimented, trying to evolve Seadra. None of them worked. Thankfully, there was a Kanto-Johto Gym leader conference and I could ask Clair, who had a Kingdra, if you recall, how she got hers. She told me that she traded her Kingdra with her cousin, while having it hold a Dragon scale that she received. She then said that if she had a Dragon Scale, she would have given it to me, but Dragon Scales are uncommon and she had found hers by a simple fluke.

"So _then_ I started looking for a Dragon Scale and with Tracey and Professor Oak's help, I got one. Tracey helped me trade it and viola!, I got a Kingdra. Of course, he's still a bit um "confused" about his name, since it _is_ a girl's name, but that's a whole different story."

Brock let out a whistle, clearly impressed. "How long did it take you to get a Kingdra?"

Misty shrugged. "About five years, total, but it was definitely worth it," she grinned.

"I'll have to battle it sometime," Ash remarked, eager by the challenge the Kingdra could possibly offer him. Misty had already given him a run for his money with her Gyarados at Rota's festival.

"Tell you what, when we land, I'll battle you with Kingdra, deal?" she asked, a unfamiliar gleam in her eyes.

Ash, oblivious to it, nodded eagerly. "Deal!"

"Place your bets," Drew smirked.

"I think it'll be a tie, honestly," Brock said, cleaning up the various splinters from Gary's back that had fallen to the floor.

"Gee, thanks Brock," Ash said.

"I wonder where Dawn went to," Gary, who had since seated himself on a pillow, given to him by Max, wondered out loud, bringing it up while fighting a slight flush to his composure.

"What does it matter to you?" Drew teased, nudging the researcher with his unbruised elbow. Gary sunk even deeper into the soft pillow, glowering at him.

"Don't tease him!" May exclaimed, scolding Drew. "She's probably back at her room."

"If she is, then it's been a while," Gary added. "Should someone go check on her? Maybe?"

"If we do, it isn't going to be you," May said. If it makes you feel any better, I'll go talk to her. Other than Misty, I'm the only girl in the group and I'm the only girl here who knows her, no offense to you Misty."

"None taken," Misty offered.

"I still have no idea what's going on," Ash whispered to Misty.

"I'll explain later," she whispered back.

"So if you'll excuse me," May finished, getting up from her seat, taking care to not tap Drew's arm. "I have some girl talk to do." She left the room and after a few moments, Drew started up, in intention to follow his girlfriend, but Misty took a hold of his shirt collar.

"Hold on there Mister, no eavesdropping. If she wants to tell you, she will."

"That's no fun," Drew sulked, seating himself back down.

Max shook his head. "Teenage drama."

"Just wait until you hit hormones."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dawn sat on the edge of her bed in her cabin, a furious conglomerate of emotions running through her. She looked out of the port window as she thought, biting the corner of her lip as she did so. What on earth had she been thinking when she did that? Yes, he saved her life, but it didn't need _that_ kind of 'thank you'. So, what was it then? She had the feeling that it was because of that nagging, remnants of a crush she had when she first met him. She couldn't blame those feelings really; he was after all, a researcher, a poet _and_ the grandson of quite possibly, the most famous Professor in all the Regions. So it was natural thing, she presumed. He must have girls falling head over heels for him all the time.

She just happened to be the next in line.

Of course, as time went and Gary left, so did that silly little crush, or so she thought. She always thought is was strange how she latched on to her emotions all the time, especially feelings of romance. Once, she thought she had a crush on Kenny. Then it was Paul, but that one was only for a millisecond _before_ she got to see his personality at work. Kotone, bless the girl, thought she had one on Ash, but Dawn saw him as a brother more than a romantic interest. Besides, she already knew his heart belonged to another, even if he was more oblivious to it than her Mamoswine had been to her commands.

So why was this one different?

_ That_ was the frustrating part of it all, that convoluted little ball of emotions, their tendrils crossing and weaving into each other, one ending into another's beginning, until they all melded together.

His reaction, though, was what really unnerved her. He looked thunderstruck at the gesture, leaving Dawn to think that maybe he wasn't the ladies man she had imagined him to be, leaving her with an all new assortment of feelings, the most prominent of them was wondering whether he felt for her. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. Or it could have been the impulsiveness of the gesture that rattled him.

But the male mind was a difficult thing to decipher, as she had learned during her travels with Ash and Brock, even though both of them were easier to understand than most.

She sighed and flopped back onto her bed, staring at the drab and darkened ceiling of her cabin. Piplup waddled across the bed to nudge her in the shoulder, concerned about his trainer's state of mind. Dawn sat back upright, taking Piplup into her arms.

"I'm so confused right now," Dawn told the small penguin pokemon. "I don't even know why I did it in the first place. Was it because I like him—I mean, like _like_ him—or was it something else? Should I have even done it in the first place? I mean-"

There was a knock at her closed door, startling her. In her surprise, she squeezed the penguin pokemon and he frowned slightly at the movement. "Who is it?" Dawn called out to the door, her heart pounding. Was it Gary, or someone one else?

"It's me, May." Dawn breathed a sigh of relief that she didn't know she was containing. "I was just coming to see how you are. Can I come in?"

Dawn paused, asking herself whether she should let her in. May wasn't the judging type and despite the company of her Piplup, sometimes it was better to tell it somebody that wasn't a pokemon, if only for the sympathy factor. "Yeah," said shakily. "You can come in."

May padded softly into the room, shutting the door quietly behind her, turning on the lamp resting in the corner of the room. "Didn't realize you liked to sit in the dark," May quipped, trying to ease the tension.

"It helps me think" Dawn said. "And I've been thinking a lot."

"Mmm." May sat next to her on the bed, crossing her legs as she did so. "Listening to music help me think. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Well. . ."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Blaidd took a deep breath as he sat on top of the upper deck of the ship. He took in another breath, the heady, salty essence of the ocean flooding his senses. He remembered when he saw the ocean for the first time in his life, as a young Riolu, traveling on a diplomatic mission with Sir Aaron, to a kingdom known as "Cerulus". He remembered how he had been awestruck by the sheer vastness of the water before him and how he and Sir Aaron had decided to spend the rest of the afternoon playing at the water's edge. He smiled, if only faintly, as he recalled how he in his foolishness had decided to taste the salty water, thinking it was like the water from back home. How Sir Aaron had laughed at his innocent face after he had tasted the salty liquid!

Blaidd let the memory come and pass, a technique that Sir Aaron had taught him. Instead of just pushing the memory aside and disrupting one's mediation, it allowed the memory to pass through, so to speak.

Unfortunately though, it had been just one of many things to disrupt his attempts at meditating. The battle today had sapped him of more strength than he realized, taking a toll on him mentally and physically. He wished he could apologize to Max, for allowing him to see him at his most primal and savage, ripping through the ranks of the pirates like the proverbial whirlwind, but he would not apologize for the men he had killed during the fight. It was what he had been trained to do, to fight when it had been necessary.

He only wished that Max hadn't been there to see him as the beast that he was deep down.

Then there was the revelation he had made back inside, about Misty and her being the mirror image of Ash's. Why he didn't realize it earlier, he didn't know. He had first dismissed it merely as an interaction between the two. It wasn't uncommon, for two Aura's to act that way; the best way to compare the phenomenon was to a pair of magnets. Sometimes they would repel each other, sometimes they would be drawn to each other. Blaidd wondered if Arceus was playing a very cruel trick on him. It was tradition that a Master of Aura only took one apprentice at a time, in order to fully divert their attention and learnings to said apprentice. Now, Blaidd had the possibility of having two apprentices, when he had only been just an student himself.

This was in its own class of unusual, and quite possibly cruel.

Aura occurred naturally in the wild and in all living things. The ability to use Aura however, occurred as a recessive gene in humans, as Blaidd had learned from his travels. The only way for one to be able to use Aura was if both parents carried the trait. This meant that even if neither parent can use it, the child could, which could explain her ability. It also explained her eye color. Blue eyes were often indicative of whether that child could use Aura or not, at least, back in the day it did.

But Ash had brown eyes and he was Sir Aaron's heir—as did his mother-, so blue eyes weren't always an indicator, Blaidd thought.

But why her, he wondered. She was the square peg in the round hole, so to speak, when it came to Aura. She didn't fit the prophecy—it was clearly written for a male heir—but her Aura was nearly identical to Ash's. She did she want any part of it either, which wasn't nearly as unusual. Humans were known to shy away from the supernatural. Where she inherited the ability left Blaidd at a loss. The lupine pokemon had a handful of theories, one of which concerning the original Lords of Cerulus; he would have to do research into the old archives of Cerulean City in order to get to the truth.

Blaidd inhaled once again, hoping to clear his thought. In order to keep the "Aura Hunters" off their trail, Blaidd would have to teach her to shield herself Aura from intruding eyes, to prevent them from mistaking her as Ash and becoming an unfortunate casualty of the fight.

And at the very least, Ash would have a sparring partner, for competition and for practice, neither of those things Blaidd had when he was growing up.

He made a mental note to attempt to sway her to learn the very basics of Aura manipulation. If she opted to stop learning after a certain point, then Blaidd would let her go, without any ill feelings. The lucario sighed lustily as he opened his eyes to his surroundings. There was no chance of meditating tonight; he was still too restless after the fight on the deck to fully concentrate and replenish his stores of Aura. He decided to get some rest instead and allow the subconscious to take over and to exorcise the demons of war. He slowly stretched as he stood back upright from his seated position, feeling the joints crack and pop back into place .

_"I'm getting old," _he thought to himself . He looked across the ocean and the horizon, seeing himself as a riolu again, playing on the shore with Sir Aaron.

"I miss you, my friend."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

". . . And that's it really. I mean, it's so confusing. I have no idea what to make of it." Dawn finished to May. Nearly an hour and a half passed since May had entered the cabin, listening to Dawn as she voiced her concerns and troubles.

May 'hmmm' to herself, attempting to find the best way to say what she wanted to say. She wasn't much for giving advice; she had always gone to Solidad for advice when needed. Now she was playing mother hen to a fellow competitor who was only two years apart from her. "Well, I'll admit I'm not the smartest at a lot of things-" she laughed nervously.

"But you're the "Princess of Hoenn"!" Dawn blurted.

"Why thank you, I didn't say I was bad at everything." May finished. "But I do know a thing or two about romance, thanks to Solidad and cheesy chick flicks."

"So what do you think?"

"I think that what you're feeling is completely normal. Everybody goes through those phases. We're teenagers, after all, it comes with the territory."

"So you don't think that me giving Gary a kiss on the cheek wasn't stupid?"

"I don't think so. I've done worse, let me tell you."

Dawn flopped on the bed, careful not to disturb piplup, whom had fallen asleep during the conversation. "I just don't know if it's like one of those little crushes, or something else. I _thought_ it was a little crush, but I don't know now." She massaged the temples of her head with the palms of her hands in frustration. "Arrgh! It's just so-so. . . annoying!"

"I know, I was the same way with Drew too. It wasn't until Solidad set me straight that I realized that I really did like him. It just took the both of us forever to _do_ something about it."

"But you and Drew seem so, perfect for each other!"

"He would be flattered by that, but we bicker a lot. Nothing serious, but sometimes I just want to beat his head into a wall, if only to get some of the stubbornness out. We aren't that perfect."

"Huh." Dawn glanced over at May. "Do you think he likes me?" she blurted.

"Gary? Maybe. He seemed jealous when you talked about that one person-"

"Conway?"

"That one. And you two seem to get along with each other well enough."

"When he's not on his high ponyta."

"He does seem to be a bit of a know-it-all."

"You have no idea." Dawn paused. "But he's nice when he wants to be and he can be brave too. Plus he's really good looking and smart."

"Being good looking is always a bonus. Ash used to tell me how all these cheerleaders used to follow Gary around and cheer him on and stuff."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but from what Ash said, they left him while they were in Johto."

"Oh." She sighed. "I wish I knew though."

"You could always ask him."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No."

"I'd look like an idiot."

"I don't think you would."

"Somehow, I don't think that that would end well."

"As someone once said, 'it's better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all'."

". . . You got that from that one movie, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**So May isn't a ditz 24/7 after all, as so many people like to portray her on this site. Which is sad really, I like May; she's adorable, even if she has her moments :). I just like seeing her trying to be this sort of 'counselor' like figure, even though they're supposedly the same age (according to canon, but am I following it? Nope. )**

** Another thing people are probably noticing was the whole twist concerning Misty. Sometimes twists seem to write themselves. Yes, I'll admit, the idea came to me rather suddenly and I'm still working out the kinks, but I liked it for two reasons:**

**1) Misty always seems to play second fiddle to Ash in stories along these lines, so I thought "hey, why not?" Besides, even though she was a secondary character to Ash, she was pretty Bad- by herself, if you watch the old episodes and the movies. I hate it when Misty's portrayed as this girly-girl who's always dependent on Ash to save her. :/**

** Misty's a big girl and can take care of herself, thank you very much.**

**2) The second is that it was different from all the the other "Aura" related stories and I like being different. It's fun. I think it brings an interesting dynamic to her relationship to Ash now since Blaidd told her, for should something happen to Ash, she would essentially "replace" him. No, Ash doesn't know quite yet. It will give him some competition though.**

** That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :)**


	9. Chapter 9: Fates, Fortunes, and Destiny

Chapter 9: Fate, Fortunes and Destiny

**No, I'm not dead. I've just been really busy. It sounds like a poor excuse, but that's my story. Unfortunately, it will get even more busy due to the fact that on January 9, I go in for oral surgery to begin the process of teeth implants (I had a congenital birth defect that resulted in eight missing teeth) and it requires bone grafts.**

** Whee.**

** Because of this, I may or may not be able to update within the next two weeks, so pray for me as I deal with this...Please? It's quite scary.**

**There are two Easter eggs in this chapter. One is from a very popular movie franchise(hint:there are four movies so far) and the other is from a book whose last book in its series was released this year.**

** No, it's not "Twilight".**

** Also, I discovered Blaidd's... er, "theme song", if you will, during the course of writing this chapter. For those who are curious, the song is "Now We Are Free", from the "Gladiator" Soundtrack. For those who have seen "Gladiator", you know the scene from where this song is from. It is a beautiful song and a really incredible movie.**

** It may or may not be a portent for the furture for Blaidd ;)**

** And in other news, I share my B-Day with National Pokeshipping Day! I find it awesome and a really cool coin-ki-dink since Pokeshipping is my favorite Pokemon themed ship. Truly Arceus has smiled down upon me lol**

** And now back to your regularly scheduled chapter.**

The ferry pulled into the port town known as Agate Village. Their original liner was supposed to ferry them into a larger city known as Gateon Port, but due to the pirate incident, their new ship was now landing into the dock of Agate Village. The village was lush in comparison to the rest of the region, full of ancient trees and babbling brooks that wound in between their trunks. The village was partly mountainous, due to the fact that it rested on the western most edge of the largest mountain in Orre, Mt. Battle. The residents of the village made their home nestled and tucked away in the mammoth branches and trunks of the trees. A pair of docks, well worn and darkened with age, signaled the fact that this was indeed a port city, as small as it was.

The air seemed imbued with a heady, loamy scent, mingled with the faint tang of the river's waters that plunged through the otherwise barren landscape of Orre. As the ship pulled into the dock, Ash noticed the natives of Agate Village venture out of their abodes and study them with suspicious, wary eyes, like they had a mistrust of outsiders, especially a large group like themselves. Either that or they thought they were a bunch of arrogant, oblivious tourists.

As the ship pulled out its walkway, Max was the first to race down, followed by Ash. Both staggered uneasily onto the dock, unused to dry land after their voyage. Misty laughed at Ash as he walked unsteadily. Misty on the other hand, had little problem as she stepped off, her pack on her back. "This is the one thing I hate about boats," Ash grumbled to himself, but it had been loud enough for Misty to overhear.

"Well, what about that one time when you had gotten seasick?" she teased.

"That was my first time on a boat!" he protested. "Cut me some slack!"

"Ugh, don't remind me of that," Brock remarked. "You didn't have to stay with him or most of the night."

"What is it, 'Everybody pick on Ash Day'?"

"That sounds like a fantastic holiday," Gary joked. "We should officiate that."

Just then, an elderly man, dressed in robes, came to them, leaning slightly on a gnarled walking stick. A single pokeball hung from a sling on his woven belt. A beard, gray with streaks of white, went down to mid-torso. "Welcome to Agate Village," he proclaimed to the group. "I am Eagun. While I am not the mayor of the village, I am one of the elders and I wished to welcome you to our village. It may not seem like much, but nonetheless, it is our home. Tell me, why have you come to our home?"

"We're heading into the desert," Ash exclaimed, speaking for the group. "We're looking for the Holohians."

A frown crossed the elder's face briefly, before he nodded sagely. "Ah yes, the Holohians. A very secretive, if barbaric, group. They do keep Cipher at bay though, so we must be grateful for that."

"Cipher?" May asked.

"They are of no consequence to you, so do not fear," Eagun replied. He gave the group a look over once more, pausing as he got to Gary. "You know," he finally said. "Someone who looked just like you came through here many years ago. He looked a lot like you young man. I believe his name was something. . ." he scowled and the furrows on his brow deepened as he tried to recall the name. "Something that started with an "R", I believe. Unfortunately in my old age, I seem to forget these sort of things." Eagun apologized, noticing the look of recognition flitter over Gary's features. "But you must be weary from your journey, so I shouldn't bother you with such things. Come, there is a small bed and breakfast not far from here. I know the owner and I can see if you can stay there for the night." He started to make his way back down the dock, gesturing for them to follow.

Gary watched the man hobble down the dock, his heart hammering in his chest. Did this man know his father? And if so, did he know what happened to him?

"Gary?" It was Dawn. "Is something the matter? When he was talking to you, you looked like you seen a ghost."

"I think he knew my dad," Gary breathed softly.

"What?"

"Nothing, it was nothing." Gary shook his head. "Don't worry about it Dawn."

"Alright." Dawn sounded skeptical about his claim. Maybe Ash could shed some light on Gary's behavior.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

As Eagun had said, he managed to persuade the owner of the bed and breakfast to let them sleep over for the night. After they had dropped of their packs, Blaidd and the boys decided to go into the local shops, hoping to get some last minute supplies for their excursion. May chose to go with them, leaving Misty and Dawn alone at the bed and breakfast.

"So, what do you want to do?" Dawn inquired.

"I don't know," Misty replied, sitting in a large plushy chair that looked to be about forty years old, give or take a few years. It was dusty, and it smelled of must and dampness.

"Well, how about we go around town, take a look at the sights? That Eagun guy mentioned the "Relic Shrine" while he was leading us up here. Maybe there's a couple of souvenir shops here!"

"I highly doubt the souvenir shops, considering that the town isn't even big enough to house a Pokemon Center, but the Relic Shrine sounds interesting." Misty reached for her small shoulder bag, which was at the moment, housing a sleepy Azurill. "Want to go on a little trip?" she cooed to the baby pokemon. The pokemon chirped sleepily, then tucked herself back inside the bag. "Guess we got your answer, huh?" she chuckled. She gingerly shouldered the bag onto one arm. "Let's get going before the boys get back, then we won't be able to do anything fun."

"Agreed."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The Relic Shrine was hidden away from plain view, burrowed deep under the roots of a large tree and Agate Village. While the trip to get there had been interesting, they were blockaded by one of the villagers, whom claimed the Shrine was sacred ground to Celebi and that tourists weren't allowed to see it. Dawn was mildly upset by the villager, more by the rule about tourists than not actually seeing it, but she took it in stride, or at least attempted to. Misty, on the other hand, was more disappointed, the mentioning of Celebi triggering a memory from childhood. She had hoped to possibly catch a glimpse of the time traveling pokemon, but that, she thought, was a silly childish notion.

The pair wandered about the village, studying the houses built in the tree tops and dotted across the landscape. As they meandered by one of the houses, one built into the trunk of a very large and primordial tree, an older woman, in her late thirties to late forties, reached out and grabbed Misty's arm. The woman had thick black hair, wavy, with strong features and piercing green eyes. She was dressed in a flowing white top and a layered skirt made of many colors and fabrics. She had a walking stick and a felt bag tied to her waist. Misty yelped in surprise and took a swat at the woman, but the woman only chortled at her attempt.

"You, you have a touch of destiny about yourself," she crowed, eying Misty.

"What do you know?" Misty replied waspishly, upset by the stranger's attempt to grab her.

"What do I know?" the woman laughed. "I know many things, for I am a seer and fortune teller, a practitioner of the mystical arts lost to the mists of time. The Fates, they tell me what I need to know and whom I need to tell it to. Would you like to have your fortune told, Misty?"

Dawn gasped. "She knows your name!"

"Well, I am a gym leader after all," she snorted. "She probably saw me on television or something."

"No television," the woman laughed. "Come inside, let me tell you what the Fates have shown me. They told me that I would meet you two today."

Misty opened her mouth to say something else, but Dawn interrupted her. "Come on Misty, let's get our fortunes told! There's no harm in it! Besides, there's nothing to do here since they won't let us see the Relic Shrine."

Misty began to protest, but Dawn would hear none of it. "Fine," she sighed. "Besides, what is the harm in it?"

"Indeed." The woman replied with a twinkle in her eye. She steered the two inside her abode, with help from a Murkrow, who circled them as they entered through the fabric covered door. "Shoo! Munin!" She scolded, swatting at the crow pokemon with her stave. She gestured to the darkened chamber.

"This," she intoned. "Is where Fate and Destiny collide, revealing to me the past, present and future." The room was filled with shelves carved into the old wood. Bottles and powders liberally covered the shelves and then some, spilling over onto any available surface, save for one space on one of the shelves where a persian slept, its limbs draped over the shelf edge limply. The cat pokemon opened one eye and hissed at Dawn's piplup, who pulled a face at the crotchety creature.

"Shush Solen, we have guests." The woman chided. The cat pokemon yawned and stretched, sauntering out of the room, its tail flickering in annoyance. "Fussbudget," the woman said to the persian's fleeting form. She helped Misty and Dawn to two seats at a table resting towards the back of the room. She then took her own seat, across from them, and pulled out a deck of cards. She shuffled through the cards with one hand, with skill that would make a seasoned gambler flush with chagrin. With her other hand, she tugged the felt bag from the belt around her waist and placed it on the small, circular table. "Now, would you like to do the runes or the tarot cards? Either way, it shall be the same."

Dawn spoke first. "The tarot cards. I've never seen those done before."

The lady nodded and placed the felt bag back on her belt. She placed a violet swatch of velvet across the table and lit five candles, each a different color. She cut the deck, shuffling it. She went on for a few minutes, concentrating on the back of the cards, her green eyes growing glassy. Dawn shifted uncomfortably in her chair, impatient and growing anxious.

The shuffling came to an end, shrouding the room in uneasy silence. The air though, seemed to thrum with mystical energy and Misty wondered if the woman was not the charlatan she thought originally.

She drew five cards from the top of the deck, laying them face down and in a line across the violet fabric. She slowly flipped each one over, from left to right, revealing five images. The first, a picture of a Mime Jr. carrying a pack, called The Fool. The second, a chariot pulled by two Rapidash, one of of which was of normal coloring, the second of shiny coloring, known as "The Chariot". The third was of a Gardevoir holding a book, "The High Priestess". The fourth card was a pokeball surrounded by three pokemon, and that one was named "The Wheel of Fortune". The fifth and final card was a piloswine journeying through a wasteland, guided only by the light of a Volbeat. That one was titled "The Hermit".

The woman studied the cards for a handful of beats, before she finally began. "Dawn, is it?"

"Yes, it is." She whispered to Misty. "She knows my name."

"Uh-huh."

The woman continued. "Judging by "The Fool", you were once on a journey in the past. But then, you had to make a choice at the end of your journey, being pulled in two different directions, seen by "The Chariot." Now, in the present, you're having difficulties in your relationships," she tapped "The High Priestess". You want to have a relationship with someone, but you have so many possibilities," she then brushed the "Wheel of Fortune", "that you are having problems determining where your heart really belongs. Lastly, your future. Your journey will truly end, coming back in full circle after many tribulations; however, whether it will end in triumph of tragedy, I cannot say. I wish I could though. I am very sorry." The fortune teller shut her eyes, trying to clear her thoughts. She opened them again, the deep green irises seeming to peer into Dawn's soul. "What I can say though, is that your role in the story about to unfold will be an important one, so be careful of the choices the "Wheel of Fortune" gives you."

"Wow," Dawn breathed, in awe of her abilities. "That, that was incredible. It was like she knew everything."

Misty scowled at the turn of events. Once, she had been like Dawn, in awe of fortune tellers and occult—a result of confronting so many Legendaries, but as she got older, she became more wary, especially after Violet spent so much money on a telephone psychic. Since then, she had been skeptical of their supposed abilities. But to humor Dawn and the seer, she decided to go along with it. "Alright, do me next."

The woman flashed an inscrutable smile. "With pleasure, Mistress to the Shaman of Blue Flame."

"What was that?"

"Nothing my dear." She began to shuffle once again, laying the top five cards out like she had done previously. These ones were much different from Dawn's. The first was a Dragonair pouring water from a jug to a goblet, titled "Temperance". The second was a hitmontop hanging upside down from a rope by his foot, "The Hanged Man". The third was a pair of Nidoran, male and female, clinging close to each other while a luvdisc hovered over them, "The Lovers." The fourth was a lightning struck tower, breaking apart at the top, named "The Tower". The final card was a Vespiquen, titled "The Empress." As these cards were spread out, she chuckled.

"You my dear, had your life in balance in the past, everything was perfect for you." She pointed to the water in the image. "You are a water type trainer, no?" At Misty's silence, she continued. "Of course you are, with a name like yours. "The Hanged Man". You had to let go of that dream though, to accept a new role. One at the Cerulean Gym. But now, now you are dealing with emotions that aren't as unfamiliar to you. Love, and possibly lust, for someone close and dear to you." She gestured to "The Lovers". "He is your opposite in many ways, yet you complement each other, as fire does to water, mist to ash." At this, Dawn giggled to herself and Misty flushed, but not before nudging Dawn in the side, silencing her.

The seer smiled to herself before continuing. "But "The Tower", there's great trials and tribulations ahead of you, chaos and the clashing of forces. You will lose someone close to you during this; I cannot say if it will be the Lover or someone else." Misty's face turned pale at this. "However, you'll triumph, bringing new life from the throes of death. "The Empress" tells me so."

The room fell into silence and Misty struggled to keep the flush from her countenance. How could she had known about all those things? It seemed, uncanny and supernatural. Was it all a coincidence, or did she really know something? Misty got up from her seat. "Well, we have to get going. Thank you for your service."

"Yes, thank you!" Dawn said excitedly. They began to leave the fortune teller's abode when the woman grabbed Misty's arm once again, pulling her back. Dawn had already exited.

"What are you doing? Let go!" Misty protested.

"You will be the last hope when there is none," the seer hissed to her quietly. She didn't sound like herself, like someone was using her as a mouthpiece. Her green eyes seemed to now glow with a luminosity that seemed unnatural. "When the Shaman of Blue Flame is gone and no hope is left, go to the Silent Glade and call out the name of the Rainbow God. You, Wife of Fire's Heart, shall bear the Shard into the final battle in the Shaman's name. Thus says the All-Father-"

"Misty. Misty are you coming? It's getting late!" Dawn called out from the other side of the fabric door.

"-Wait, what was I saying?" the woman said.

"You said something about the All-Father and the Wife of Fire's Heart," Misty replied. The words seemed to have seared themselves into her consciousness and she doubted that she would forget them, as cryptic sounding as they were.

The woman looked genuinely confused. "Did I? I don't remember saying anything like that."

"But you said—never mind." Misty shook her head. "Thank you for your time again."

"No problem."

Just as Misty was beginning to pull the fabric door aside, she asked, "Do you have a name I can call you by?"

"Oracas, just Oracas."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The desert was a limitless and barren stretch of sand, James decided as he wiped the perspiration from his brow. They had been traveling for nearly two days and already, he had grown exhausted. Blisters were forming on his feet and he swore that a couple of them already had popped, the open sores chafing on his shoes. As Marcetto suggested, they traveled at night when they could, but Giovanni had insisted on finding Ash and getting closer to reclaiming his once glorious criminal empire, now in a twisted heap like his corporate building in Viridian. James thought that the heat was getting to his head, but decided against saying that out loud. Jessie though, had made her protests vocal, much to the Rocket Head's displeasure. He hadn't punished her yet, but his first rebuke had quieted her for the rest of the day.

He readjusted the pack on his shoulders, hoping to keep the straps from chafing his shoulder blades raw. He glanced upwards towards the late afternoon, disappointed that the sky remained as bright as ever They didn't walk for the early part of the morning and afternoon, avoiding the times where the sun would be the hottest, but it was still sweltering, with no chance of relief in sight. He had already gotten rid of most of his outfit, wearing the white top paired with shorts and hiking boots, with his hair tied back; the boots made him feel clumsy and awkward and he disliked them.

"Man, I hope we get to stop soon," Meowth said behind him. He had his own miniature pack and water canteens like his companions, but unlike them, he had a large scraggly looking bush tied to the end of his tail. Giovanni, in a pique of genius—or paranoia, they couldn't tell—he had the idea of using scrub brush to help cover their tracks. Why somebody would follow them out here, James didn't know, but the went along with the scheme anyway. Meowth didn't like the idea of being the one who would carry the brush the whole way, but decided to keep his mouth shut. "My blisters have blisters on them."

"I think a couple of mine popped actually," Jessie said. She had dropped back to walk beside James, avoiding Giovanni's presence, who was ahead of them. "We're going to be miserable tomorrow."

"But we're already miserable," Meowth scoffed. "Least you don't have shrubbery tied to your tail."

"Maybe we should keep it down," James suggested. "So the Boss doesn't hear."

"Did you say something?" Giovanni asked.

"Nothing at all sir!" James chirped.

Meowth raised his hand. "I have a question though."

Giovanni stopped in his tracks. He had long since shed his suit in tie, opting for a simple shirt and pants, with a cloth tied around his forehead. "And what is that?" he asked slowly, tempting him to answer.

"Well, I've been thinking about it-"

"Oh, you've been thinking. That's new for you," Jessie said quietly, teasingly.

"Shut it. Like I said, I was thinking, how are we supposed to find the twerp? I mean, we're in a freaking huge desert, with no way of tracking him. So how are we supposed to find him?"

"You doubt me Meowth?"

He backpedaled. "No no no, that-that wasn't what I meant sir! I mean that we-James, Jessie and me, just don't know how."

"Nice save," James muttered.

"The natives." Giovanni replied. "They'll help me find him. That and whatever men of Archer's we can get our hands on."

Jessie shuddered. She'd seen what Giovanni did to Archer's minions. "The natives?"

"Yes. I did a little research. The largest native population is the Holohians, found only in the desert of Orre. They'll help us. And if they don't. . ." Giovanni paused for effect.

Now James was almost positive that the heat, combined with the desire for vengeance against Archer, went to Giovanni's head. He scanned the western horizon, noting that the sun was starting to travel downward, signaling a drop in temperature, thankfully. However, something did stand out. A plume of dust was heading towards them, and his first impression was that it was a sandstorm. If it was, they would be in grave and very real danger, for there was no available shelter. "Do any of you know what that is?" he asked pointing westward.

Giovanni turned, irritated by the interruption, but his eyes got wide at the sight. At first glance, it did look like a sandstorm, but it was compact and much too small to be a true sandstorm. The Rocket Head began to pick out darker shadowy figures from the sand cloud and realized that is wasn't a storm, but in fact a stampede. Giovanni reached for his belt, where his pokeballs were located, but none seemed to satisfy their current needs. The cloud seemed to head closer. He finally decided his pokemon to battle whatever was in the plume of sand and dust but by then, it was too late.

The plume died down, revealing nearly a hundred men, women and children with dark complexions and black hair. The men and women carried weapons on their persons and were accompanied by pokemon, notably flygon, tauros, mareep and mightyena. Other pokemon of different species were scattered among their ranks. The men of the troop then began to surround them, their weapons encircling Giovanni, Jessie, James, and Meowth like a reverse porcupine.

"So much for subtlety," Jessie grumbled as one of their spears nearly pricked her in the cheek.

"Who are you?" one of the men asked in clipped English, his voice heavy with an unknown accent. He wore a white tunic with a leather vest, paired with long white pants. Pale yellow threads were woven in patterns in his clothing. "What do you want?"

"We are only simple travelers, looking for one of our own," Giovanni explained, hoping that they would believe him. "If you would let us through-"

"They are nothing but _mukaatu_," one of the men spat caustically. "I say we kill them and teach the other _mukaatu_ a lesson." The troop erupted then with their own opinions and ideas, none of which were very pleasant.

"We mean no harm," James insisted, hands up in a complacent gesture. "We swear!"

A jet of flame shot over the crowd and a large blue and red dragon with blade like wings stormed through the ranks and the men parted like water, letting the beast past. The dragon wore a leather harness with metal plates covering parts of the straps. A headdress made of bones and feathers topped its head; the overall appearance of the harness and headdress gave it a beastly, monstrous look. The dragon's eyes gleamed with belligerence as it scrutinized Giovanni and the others. Atop the salamence's back was a woman with long raven black hair in a braid and hazel eyes, clad in leather and white fabric, while a short cloak of pale golden yellow went over it. A scar ran from her right cheek to her jawline, giving her a hard, cold impression. The salamence snapped its jaws inches from James' face, the dragon snarling and slavering.

"Enough Salamence," she commanded, placing a gloved hand on the beast's flank. She pulled out a long thin weapon that looked to be a cross between a machete and a sword and pointed it at them. "Who exactly are you and what are you doing on Holohian land? Are you trying to steal our iron and steel from us?"

"No, we are not," Giovanni answered, keeping his gaze steady with the woman's. "We are nothing more than simple travelers on an expedition. A friend of ours is journeying through here and we are hoping to meet up with him."

"Then your friend is very foolish, Giovanni of Viridian City." An audible gasp could be heard from Jessie and James as she made this statement.

"How did you-" Jessie began.

"I was once a trainer who left my home to see the outside world. I came back to serve my people and I know many things. Now, why would the Gym Leader of Viridian City come to our home, of all places? Surely it isn't to find this so called "friend" of yours."

"I swear," Giovanni snarled. "Nobody calls me a liar and gets away with it."

"Is that a challenge, _mukaatu_?" she leered.

"Yes, it is."

The woman stared at him hard and long, waiting for him to turn his gaze away. When he didn't, she finally tossed her head back and laughed. "You have some nerve, Giovanni of Viridian. Very well then. If it is a challenge you want, then it is a challenge you get. _If_ you win the challenge, then you may stay and travel with our tribe until you find your "friend". If I win, then you shall be banished and no longer allowed to travel in the desert. I will send word out to the other tribes to not give you food nor water nor shelter. You have intruded upon the desert and she does not take kindly to trespassers." the troop broke into whispers as she made this claim.

"I will take your challenge _woman_," Giovanni practically snarled.

"I do have a name you know. It is Cora, daughter of Sodran, Chief of the Kiita Sect of the Yellow Tribe of the Holohians, and I accept your challenge. As Chief of the tribe, I grant you permission to name the challenge. So, what will it be, Giovanni of Viridian?"

There was no hesitation in Giovanni's voice. "A pokemon battle, three on three, no substitutions unless a pokemon is knocked out. The winner will be the one who wins two out of three matches."

"I can handle that. I won your badge once, I can defeat you a second time," she boasted, smirking. She pointed northward about fifty yards from their location. "There is where we shall battle There is an oasis near there and if you win, you may camp there with us for the night." she turned her salamence and directed the draconic beast towards their location. Her tribe, still in awe, followed suit, taking their trappings and belongings with them.

The last vestiges of Team Rocket trailed behind the caravan, looking at Giovanni with new found respect and a hint of trepidation, for if Giovanni lost to Cora, then he had essentially sentenced them to death.

"I hope he knows what he's doing," Meowth whispered to James. The scrub brush was still tied to his tail.

"I hope he does too."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

**Yes, those pokemon themed tarot cards actually do exist. Well, the images anyways. How did I find them, you ask?**

** One word: Memebase, more specifically Pokememes which is on Memebase. That place makes me lol. **

** And admittedly, trying to decipher the meanings of the cards was **_**much**_** more difficult than intended, so if there are those far more skilled in tarot reading than I, please give me a swift kick to the tuckus and correct me if I'm wrong.**

** And Cora means business lol. **

** This is the first true snapshot of the Holohians here, so I'll give some information on them. They're nomads, for one thing and their tribal structure is arranged by the seven colors of the ****rainbow, making for seven large tribes. Then within each of the larger tribes are smaller tribes, ****called "sects" or clans, and are named for the founder of the sect. So in Cora's case, the sect is named for Kiita, whom founded the sect. They're warrior like and secretive about their traditions and lifestyle, and strongly dislike outsiders, unless they can prove themselves to the tribe. In Giovanni's case, it will be a pokemon battle.**

** The term **_**mukaatu**_** is actually a derogatory term. It means "exile" or "outsider"(the loosest terms) and is often applied to foreigners. A **_**mukaatu**_** is someone who has been exiled from their tribe and all their belongings have been taken away from them, so they have no way of surviving the elements and essentially die from exposure and their soul cannot join Ho-Oh. Essentially it is a death sentence and when applied to the foreigner, it could mean someone who is woefully unprepared for the desert, or an outsider. **

** There are some pronunciation nuances one most note while reading the story from this point. It mostly applies to their names and terms:**

** -****A: The 'a' sound in the Holohian language is pronounced as 'ah', a long 'a'. There is no short 'a' sound.**

** -E: The 'e' in their language is sounded out as 'ae', so a name like 'Teldas', sounds like Tael-dahs.**

** -I: the 'I' is also pronounced long, sounding like 'ee'.**

** -O: In most cases, the 'o' is sounded out like it usually is in the English language, but if it's after an 'h', it sounds like 'oo'. So Ho-Oh is pronounced 'Hoo-Oh'. **

** -U: the 'u' sounds like 'oo', like the 'o' is sometimes pronounced.**

** -Tt: the 'tt' is sounded out like 'th'.**

** -'ch': sounds like 'sh', turning the 'c' soft, so 'Choro' is actually sounded out as 'Shoo-ro'**

** -'y': The 'y' sounds exactly like the 'i's do, as an 'ee'**

**Note: These rules do not apply to the names of foreigners.**


	10. Chapter 10: Duel in the Desert

Chapter 10: Duel in the Desert

** Well, the good news is that I'm not dead. You're welcome, by the way, for not dying. :). My surgery actually went very well, as I did not need the bone grafts after all, plus I had a really quick recovery time, but I had to live off of soup, cheese sticks and yogurt for two weeks. Great weight loss program, BTW lol**

The oasis Cora had directed her tribe to was not a very large oasis, with only a few trees and a medium-sized pond of water, but to Team Rocket, it was the most beautiful sight they had seen in a long time. Jessie, James and Meowth sprinted to the water and buried their canteens into the clear water, hoping to guzzle down as much water as they could before Giovanni's battle.

Jessie sloshed some of the water on her face. "This has to be the most wonderful thing ever!" she praised. The water was mildly cool and clear, reflecting the afternoon sky that was beginning to meld into violet and deep blue.

Meowth guzzled the water with his paws. "No kidding!"

"Ahem," an older man, with a neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper beard and carrying a shard of translucent blue crystal, coughed. "I must purify the water in the name of Sucun, The Cleanser."

"'Sucun'?" James whispered to Jessie.

"Sounds sort of like Suicune," she guessed, but scrambled out of the way as the man reached for a dagger. He knelt and placed one end of the pale blue shard into the water. It glowed for a moment, then faded.

"I bless this water in the name of The Rain Dancer and The Healer. May the Child of Ho-Oh bless and keep this water clean." He got up, brushing the sand off his white robes. He walked away, leaving the three feeling very out of place.

"And here I thought I couldn't feel more awkward," Jessie muttered.

Meanwhile, the rest of the sect hovered around a flat, sandy clearing, littered with small boulders. Cora stood at one edge of the clearing, while Giovanni stood at the other. The former Rocket leader had since shed his pack, taking only a small drink of water before gathering his composure. Cora's salamence lounged lazily to one side, eyes half lidded, yet glittering with awareness. Cora shed her golden cloak, revealing her clothing, a white tunic with a leather breastplate and a skirt with two slits that went to her knees. She wore sandals bound with leather thongs, decorated with beads. A broad necklace of turquoise and bone rested on her collarbone.

"Are you ready, Giovanni of Viridian?" She taunted.

Giovanni growled deep in his throat, pokeball in hand. "I don't have time for this," he snarled quietly to himself. "Go, Kangaskan!" He flung the ball high in the air and in a flash of white, a kangaroo-like pokemon appeared, an infant pokemon nestled in her pouch. She let out a battle cry and stomped her foot, sending dust flying in the air.

Cora smiled, reminding Giovanni of his Persian when the pokemon had caught a pidgey. She motioned to Salamence. "Salamence, join the battle." The dragon pokemon rolled off its side with a snort and walked onto the field. The harness, though not the headdress, was not him. Beating its bright red wings, the dragon took to the air, sending sand everywhere.

Cora pointed to James. "You, officiate the battle." James scrambled upright at the calling of his name and scurried to the field, recalling Cora's blade. Jessie and Meowth followed behind him.

James straightened his clothing and coughed. "The battle between Cora and Giovanni shall begin. No substitution and the winner will be determined by winning two out of three matches."

"Well, since you chose first, it would seem fitting that I went first, just to be fair," Cora said. "Salamence, start things off with a steel wing!" The dragon's wings seemed to luminesce and turn a silvery color as he plunged out of the sky, dive-bombing towards Kangaskan.

"Kangaskan, use dizzy punch!" Giovanni commanded. Kangaskan used her thick legs to propel herself in the air, just as Salamence started to pull out of his dive. Kangaskan brought up her fist, punching Salamence in the lower jaw. The dragon was flung upwards and was forced to pull out of his attack; it shook its head, as a boxer would do when struck in the head..

"Now Kangaskan, hit again with dizzy punch!" The kangaroo pokemon leapt up in the air once more, determined to slug the dragon back down to earth.

"Salamence, dodge the punch using spiral maneuver!" Cora shouted over the din. Salamence leaned backwards in midflight and veered away, gaining momentum as he spiraled downwards. "Now, spin out and use flamethrower as you pull out!" Salamence cork screwed out of the dive and shot up, blasting a gout of flame at Kangaskan. She was caught unaware and bellowed in pain as she took the full fury of the flames. She fell out of her attack and crashed to the ground, soot and smoke liberally covering her body. She pulled herself upright, ready to fight.

"Salamence, finish her off with a dragon claw attack!" Salamence seemed to leer in delight and dive bombed Kangaskan again. His claws glowed with a supernatural light and extended.

This time it was Giovanni's turn to smirk. "Kangaskan, use outrage." Her eyes glowed red and she roared, swinging with her fists, roaring and screaming.

Cora cursed out loud. "Salamence, back pedal now!" The dragon snorted in surprise and started to back wing away from the rampaging pokemon, but was struck with some of the onslaught. Salamence crashed and tumbled across the clearing. The small boulders had cut into the beast's skin and rivulets of hot blood dripped onto the desert floor.

"Kangaskan, finish Salamence off! Giovanni cried, the lust of battle upon him.

"Salamence, use protect now!" Salamence curled his wings around his head and a glowing green barrier surrounded his bulky frame. Kangaskan screamed in fury and frustration as it pounded at the barrier but the wounded dragon held fast. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Kangaskan staggered back, spent. A confused look was in her eyes and Cora seized the opportunity. "Salamence, use dragon claw once again!"

"Kangaskan, repel him with dizzy punch!" Giovanni demanded; however, the pokemon was too exhausted and confused to fully listen to her trainer and Salamence swung his claws, once, twice, across the pokemon's face. She staggered back and letting out a wounded cry, collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Kangaskan is unable to battle, Salamence has won this round," James said, in awe of the furious battle. He nearly shrunk behind Jessie when the man shot James a dirty, furious look.

"Very well then. I still have two fresh pokemon, while your Salamence is panting over there with exhaustion," Giovanni said scornfully, eying the blue and red beast. "Cloyster, enter the field." He flicked the pokeball, summoning a bivalve pokemon, with a deep violet shell, with spikes jutting from it. "Cloyster, use withdraw." Cloyster slowly sealed his shell, the spiked pointing upwards.

Cora snarled. It was a delay tactic, designed to keep Salamence at bay while it struck at her pokemon with water and ice based moves, until it wore him completely down. _"We'll see about that. I'll just take the fight to it,_" Cora thought. "Salamence charge Cloyster and use dragon claw to pry the shell open!" Salamence roared and swooped over the sand. He then used his enhanced claws to latch the edges of the shell and pry them open as a person would shuck a shell. Salamence grunted with the effort, for it was proving much more difficult than first realized, but soon, the dragon had managed to pry a half-a-foot wide fissure in the otherwise impenetrable living fortress. Giovanni meanwhile, was just standing there, watching the battle unfold and Cora wondered if the man was simply shell shocked by the fact that he was going to lose and eventually, die out in the desert. But as she watched him, she realized that he had a ghost of a smile on his face.

"He's planning something," she gasped. _"But he won't be able to go through with it," _she added. "Salamence, once you open the shell, use flamethrower again!" Just as she said that, flames began to lick the dragon's maw as he started to prep for the attack.

"Cloyster, use ice beam." Giovanni said calmly. Slowly, Cloyster creaked his shell open and on the tip of his innermost spike, formed a crackling bolt of icy energy, the air dropping, the cold sapping the heat from the outside. The bivalve pokemon launched the ice beam, catching the dragon full in the chest and face. Salamence was catapulted into the air, limp in his motions, ice crystals forming on the dragon's chest and face, despite the temperatures. Salamence plunged into the shallow end of the oasis, eyes closed, unconscious. The ice crystals seemed to form a cruel parody of a coffin, encasing the upper torso.

"Salamence!" Cora screamed, running through the crowd of her fellow tribesmen. The adrenaline pumping through her veins, she grabbed one of Salamence's claws and with an effort, heaved the dragon out of the water. Using her machete sword, she swung it in a downward arc, shattering the crystals, taking care to not hit the dragon directly. She managed to get a large portion of the ice in one motion and the dragon's eyes flashed open as he took in a huge gulp of air. "Thank the Rainbow God," she muttered, cradling the beast's head. "You did a good job," she cooed. "Now get some rest." Salamence closed his eyes and rested his head back on the warm sand, eager to get some well deserved rest.

"Salamence is unable to battle," James said dutifully. "Cora and Giovanni are now tied. The winner of the next battle is the winner of the match."

Cora walked back to the field, plucking off a pokeball as she did so.

"Ready to surrender?" Giovanni asked.

"Never," Cora replied venomously. "I still have one more left. Go! Alakazam!" A bipedal creature with golden skin and brown armor like protrusions protecting its torso, forearms and knees. A spoon appeared in each hand.

"Alakazam, let's start things off by using Thunderpunch!" Alakazam ran towards the Cloyster, right fist raised, sparks sizzling off his hand.

"Cloyster, use withdraw!" Cloyster sealed his shell shut once again and Alakazam's fist bounced harmlessly off of it, the lightning fizzling to mere sparks that danced across the sand. Alakazam nimbly bounced back away on his toes, scowling, an ironic reflection of Cora.

Cora watched the scene closely; Giovanni seemed to be repeating his earlier tactic of having Cloyster withdraw into its shell, then unleash its attack when his enemies were close. What Giovanni didn't realize though, was that Cora had a much simpler way of cracking Cloyster's shell, so to speak. "Alakazam, use psychic to open Cloyster up!" Alakazam nodded and raised one hand up. The pokemon's eyes flared blue as did the spoon in his hand, which was held sideways in his grip. At first, nothing seemed to happen and the crowd had fallen into a deathly silence, then Cloyster's shell was cloaked with a pale blue aura. Slowly, but surely, cloyster's shell was cracking open under the force of Alakazam's psychic abilities. Cloyster's face was alight with fear, for it was losing control of its own bodily functions. Giovanni though, did not looked disconcerted by the turn of events. He was standing there, arms crossed, watching with a blank expression.

"Now Alakazam, use thunderpunch once more!" Cora bellowed, pointing. Alakazam growled and charged, one hand controlling psychic while the other hand crackled with energy. Ozone filled the air and the simplest touch created static, Alakazam's attack was so fierce.

Giovanni smiled slightly, expecting the move. Just as Alakazam was about fifteen feet from Cloyster's vulnerable insides, Giovanni stated, "Cloyster, use explosion." Cloyster leered maliciously and glowed with a bright white light, then seemed to explode, sending shock waves and sand flying everywhere, obscuring everybody's view. Cora held the hem of her tunic over her mouth and nose to keep sand from getting in her lungs. When the air cleared, smoke steamed off of the shell of the bivalve pokemon as it rested deep in the sand, on its side. Alakazam was laying about thirty feet away, flat on his back, also unconscious. James nervously spoke.

"Both Cloyster and Alakazam are unable to battle. The match is a draw." The crowd gasped audibly, Jessie and Meowth the loudest among the shell shocked Holohians.

"Now what?" Jessie whispered anxiously. Cora and Giovanni did not dictate what would happen if the match became a draw.

"I don't know," Meowth breathed.

The field was shushed as both trainers withdrew their pokemon back into their respective balls. Cora eyed the Viridian Gym leader for a moment, then burst out in laughter, tossing her head back to the sky.

"You're bold, Giovanni of Viridian! I like that!" she laughed. "I would have never expected the explosion!" She turned back to him. "I shall grant you permission to stay with the tribe until you meet with this supposed "friend" of yours, Giovanni of Viridian." The Holohians broke out in protests.

"But, Chief-"

They are _mukaatu-"_

"No _mukaatu-"_

"Silence!" Cora screeched. "Now Giovanni of Viridian, as I was saying, I will allow you to stay with our tribe; however, you must honor the traditions and customs of our people. In other words, you must become one of us. If you disrespect us, I will banish you and you and your companions will die as the _mukaatui _as you. Truly. Are." she hissed. "Do we have a deal, Giovanni of Viridian?"

Giovanni scowled; while he was grateful for the offer of shelter, food and water, he was not expecting to "becoming" one of the barbaric Holohians or whatever they called themselves. Unfortunately, it was the only way, the first true step towards vengeance against the man who destroyed his empire.

"Deal."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Nighttime fell over Agate Village like a heavy but comfortable blanket. Blaidd tossed and turned in the stuffy old chair he was resting in. His eyes flickered to one of the windows and to the dark shadows outside, the contours of the ancient trees, with only the occasional lantern light to banish the darkness. He frowned. He had been very restless recently. His eyes went to his compatriots, who were sprawled across the floor of the bed and breakfast, like it was one giant slumber party and he was the chaperone. Despite what the owner had said, there wasn't nearly enough room for all of them and they had reached the general consensus that it would be safer to stay as a group, even if it meant they had to sleep on the floor.

The recent conflicts had changed them more than they knew, Blaidd recognized. He fiddled with one of the threadbare tassels on the chair with one paw, thinking. He decided that tonight would be his chance to convince her that she too, had Aura. At the very least, he could at least teach her to shield it, if she didn't wish to learn its way. He slowly got up, wincing as the chair groaned with the shifting of his weight. He froze, wondering if anybody heard, however; with Max's snoring, he doubted that they could have heard a cannon go off outside the bed and breakfast.

"How ironic" Blaidd whispered to no one. "How the youngest can be the loudest." He padded carefully and cautiously around the conglomeration of limbs, sleeping bags and dozing pokemon. He finally reached her sleeping bag. He knelt down next to her, resting on the balls of his feet, and nudged her shoulder. "Misty."

She groaned quietly and stirred onto her back. Her eyes flickered open, still heavy with sleep. "Ash?" she said.

"Blaidd. I need to talk to you. I'm sorry for bothering you this late, but it's urgent, well, I think it's urgent," he admitted.

She sat upright, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Azurill chirped sleepily and she shushed him back to sleep. "What is it?" she whispered. "Is something bad happening?"

Blaidd shook his head. "No nothing bad is happening."

"Then why are you bugging me?"

"I've come to a revelation of sorts. And it concerns you." Blaidd rocked back and forth imperceptibly. "Can we talk?"

It was then that Misty remembered how socially awkward Blaidd could be; he had, after all, spent many years imprisoned in a crystal orb, then spent two years as a human. He probably didn't realize, for all his wisdom, that this seemed rude. So, she decided to humor the lupine pokemon. "Alright, what do you want to talk about?" she asked, hugging her knees.

"Well," Blaidd looked about. "Maybe not here."

"Outside then?"

"Much better." Blaidd helped her up and led her outside, nudging a wood stop in the threshold in case the door shut behind them. The night sky seemed limitless above them, the Milky Way weaving its way from north to south. "It's about your Aura signature."

"We already talked about this," Misty practically growled. "I don't, I don't show any interest in it."

"And why not?" Blaidd questioned.

"Because, it's not my place." She muttered.

"I don't understand."

She sighed. "Ash is supposed the hero, not me. He's supposed to do these things while I play back up, just in case," she chewed on her lip, eyes downcast, as if recalling a memory from long ago. "I'm not the heroic type, I'm the clean-up batter."

"That's an ...interesting way to put it," Blaidd remarked. "But you won't be taking his place. The prophecy is meant for him."

Misty let out a bitter and acerbic laugh. "That makes me feel better. But, I have to ask, why me?"

"I don't know," Blaidd admitted. "It would seem that Arceus is playing a cruel trick on both of us. It doesn't mean though, that you should see it as something bad. Aura works in its own ways, ways that we cannot begin to fathom. You were chosen to be able to use Aura as well. You are not, as you say, "A clean-up batter", although I must admit, I'm not sure what that phrase means."

"It's a baseball term."

"Oh. My point is that you need to learn how to use Aura as well."

"I do?"

"Yes. Having untrained Aura is a bad thing. It heightens your empathy towards people so high that you cannot bear to be around them; it can also manifest itself at inopportune times and you can experience extreme mood swings, since Aura is often tied to thought and emotion. Some people have been known to hear other people's thoughts at random, like birds pecking at your psyche. Plus, your Aura signature will be like a shining beacon to those looking for it and since yours is a mirror reflection of Ash's they may mistake Ash's for yous and that could prove hazardous.

"At the very least, let me teach you the basics of Aura, such as shielding it from prying eyes, meditating and some other basics. If you decide to cease training after that point, then I will stop. Is that alright with you?"

"I don't know. I've never had any of those things happen to me before."

"Only because you haven't had the misfortune of a personal tragedy recently. Aura is often first triggered that way, usually manifesting itself at puberty. Have you had any horrific or traumatizing happen to you lately?"

"You sound like a psychologist, but no, nothing lately."

Blaidd scowled. "I'm sensing that you're hiding something from me."

She didn't say anything and Blaidd decided to not press onwards with it. "What do you say, to my offer?" he queried once more, trying to meet her eyes.

"Like I said, I don't know." Misty fought of a yawn. "But I am very sleepy. Can I go back to bed now?"

"I'm not keeping you. I just want you to think it over though. Will you do that for me?"

"Fine," She started to open the door when Blaidd added.

"Besides, you could always whip Ash into shape. You would make for great competition with him." He chuckled as she grumbled something under her breath and fought off a growing flush to her nose and cheeks.

Agate Village was shrouded in silence as Blaidd was left standing outside the bed and breakfast. He had at least opened the proverbial door, so to speak. Maybe she will decide to learn, he hoped. In the meantime, he would have to shield her from outside eyes, an exercise that would prove very taxing. Most users of Aura used their own Aura to hide themselves and to mask themselves. He would have to use his own stores of Aura to create a shield around her. It would prove arduous in that he would have to "pump" Aura for her shield for almost all hours of the day. Maybe he could convince Ash to do it too, in shifts.

Blaidd flopped back onto the grassy yard outside the bed and breakfast, too tired to do nothing more than to just rest and give her space. All he could do now was pray to Arceus.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

She laid there, staring at the blank expanse of the ceiling, of shadowy, amorphous shapes without definition or meaning. His words weighed heavily on her and combined with the prophetic words of the seer, left her unsure and wavering about herself and her place. Both of them clearly saw something in her that she either didn't or refused to see before.

But what was it?

She turned to her side; the wood paneling of the floor was uncomfortable and too slick for her liking. She had already gotten used to sleeping outdoors. She heaved a hefty sigh. Where was her place? Why her, of all people? Why was she chosen to have Aura? Blaidd never told her why, he just told her that she possessed it. When he first mentioned it, she merely thought of it as some sheer coincidence. Now with this new revelation, it was like she had been sideswiped and left spinning in the middle of the road. Fate was indeed cruel and capricious.

And it wasn't like Blaidd left her any choice in deciding her fate either. At least, not with all the dangers of having an untrained Aura.

Misty sat upright, hugging her knees, glancing up into the stygian darkness that seemed to surround them. There was no clock, so she had no way of telling the time. She guessed it was late, maybe two or three in the morning, when everything seemed the darkest and gloomiest, thoughts and environments included.

Ash, who had his sleeping bag next to hers, gave a sudden snort, startling her. He turned his back to her and went back to sleep, muttering something incomprehensible in the process. She smiled at him, watching as he and pikachu, who was curled up in a tight, fuzzy ball, slept. How peaceful he looked, in fact, how peaceful they all looked. May and Drew were practically pressed together, their fingers entwined as they slept; Max was resting on May's left. Brock was draped across a chair, snoring loudly, head tilted back, while Gary and Dawn were sleeping in nearly the same position, on their right sides. She suspected that Gary at one point, was watching her sleep, just as she was doing now.

And yet, she was wide awake as a noctowl was.

Her thoughts turned back to Ash. How would he react if he knew that she could potentially use Aura as well as he? He would probably be thrilled, she surmised. Other than Blaidd, he was all alone in dealing with this, so to have someone to learn alongside him would thrill him to no end; he'd probably enjoy the competition too. But what if he grew jealous? The chances of it were slim, but it couldn't help but plague her. She was heading into unknown territory, both physically and metaphorically.

Misty laid her head back on her pillow, thoughts of insecurity and self-doubt dancing in her head. There had to be something good coming from this, she thought.

But what?

"Can't sleep?" Ash whispered to her in the dark.

"No-wait, I thought you were asleep."

"I was," she saw a figure shift in the blackness. "But I just woke up."

"I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Nope, don't worry." she swore she saw him grin in the night. "You're good. What's on your mind?"

"Stuff."

"Well, what kind of stuff?"

She shrugged. "You know, just 'stuff'."

"That's not very helpful."

"Look, it's not very important, okay?" she hissed. "Sorry, I'm just, stressed that's all."

"Mom always told me that it helps if you talk about it. Maybe it will you fell better."

She hesitated, wondering if she should tell him. The poor kid already had enough to deal with, so why make it worse? "It's hard to explain. . ."

She heard him inch closer to her. "Can't be that hard," he insisted.

"Promise you'll keep it a secret?"

"Cross my heart, hope to die."

"Ash, you're such a kid," she teased.

He flipped over on his back, looking up at her. ""Am not."

"Are too."

"Aren't you going to tell me?"

". . .Blaidd told me that I have Aura."

"Everybody has an Aura, Misty." he stated simply, like it was an everyday matter.

"I think he meant that I could use it, like you."

He bolted up in the darkness. "No way!" he hissed.

"Yeah."

"That's so cool!" Inwardly, she breathed a sigh of relief. Her fears were nothing more than phantoms after all. "Can I teach you?"

"You're. . .you're not upset or anything?"

"Why would I be?" He then added haltingly. "I'm glad I'm not by myself anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Other than Blaidd and this one guy in Sinnoh, it was just me. Now, it's nice to know that I'm not by myself anymore-hey! I got an idea! I can teach you!"

"You already said that and I think Blaidd was planning on teaching me. You still have a ways to go, remember?" she teased.

"Hey." he grumbled. "Can I show you something though?"

"What?"

"I'll show you." he reached for her hands. "Wait, we better do this outside. We might wake the others up."

"What are you planning, Ash Ketchum?"

"I'll show you." He stood up, pulling her with him. "Come on!" He whispered loudly, pulling her outside. Pikachu groggily looked up as Ash got out of the sleeping bag, waking Pikachu in the process. Pikachu shook his head at the pair and went back to sleep, uninterested in their activities. She smirked as he failed to notice the improvised doorstop that Blaidd had placed earlier. She wondered if he ever came inside. Ash kept persisting and dragging her along. He seemed so enthusiastic that she went along with him, wondering what schemes he had concocted in his head.

Meanwhile, Blaidd, who had been dozing in a nook of a tree, perked up at the voices. It was Ash and Misty, Ash tugging on her hands, insistent on something. Curious, Blaidd sat up and using the foliage as cover, crawled to get a better view. "I wonder. . ." he muttered.

"Okay Ash, you dragged me out here in who knows how early in the morning, what did you want to show me?"

"Give me your hands."

"You're holding onto them, remember?"

He flushed in embarrassment. "Right." He cradled his hands underneath hers and she fought off the urge to blush at the contact. He was so close, she could nearly feel the heat of his person. It was comforting, in a way. "Close your eyes." he urged softly. "And concentrate."

"Concentrate on what?" she asked.

"Imagine the Aura flowing through you."

"Alright," she closed her eyes. "How do I find the Aura?"

"You can't just "find" it. You have to imagine it, feel it."

"Are you sure?"

"Trust me."

"Okay, I trust you." She tried to imagine the Aura, as he said, but it was proving more difficult than she thought. "Feel it," she whispered. She pictured the Aura as she saw Ash doing it, the blue energy flowing out is hands like a river.

Then, she felt it. It was a pulsing energy, flowing through her like blood through veins. It was like a creek, bubbling and flowing with the life essence of her being, her "Aura". She gasped at the revelation.

"Cool, isn't it?" Ash's voice echoed dimly in her ears. She nodded. "Now, imagine it flowing out your fingertips and into your hands."

She reached for the life energy and nursed it, pushed it, until it was no longer a slow moving creek, but a river blocked at a dam. She pictured it breaking out of the dam and into her hands. _"How interesting that it looks like water,"_ she thought. At first, there was nothing, then she felt a sudden drain of energy, like she ran a marathon.

"Careful," Ash warned.

"Right." She reined the energy back, trying to place it back behind the dam.

"Open your eyes," Ash said.

Misty slowly peeked and gasped at what she saw. In the palm of her hands, still being cradled by Ash's, was a ball of vibrant blue energy, swirling in the palms of her hands like a ball of water. "It's, it's.." she stammered.

"Cool, huh?" he grinned. The light of the Aura cast unnatural shadows on both of their faces, but it was hard to not see the look of elation on his face.

"Yeah."

"I like how yours looks like water," Ash said. "It fits you."

"Thanks, I think."

They watched the orb of Aura in Misty's hands for a while, her basking in the glow of her triumph, small as it was, him almost fit to burst with glee. The orb seemed to dance in her palms, the energy flowing and gliding over itself; it had a life of its own. Slowly, Ash removed his hands from underneath hers and she watched as he added to the orb, Aura pouring from his hands. His reminded her of fire, crackling with vibrant energy, animated. At first, his Aura spilled over hers, not wanting to join, but eventually, he coaxed it to fuse with hers and the orb seethed with life, calm and violent all at once. The gesture felt strangely intimate to her.

The words of the seer echoed in her head. _"You complement each other, as fire does to water, ash to mist."_ Perhaps the seer was more right than she first thought.

Then, Ash started to pull away and the orb grew in size, but it was less dense and Misty could see gaps in the sphere. With a singular gesture of his hands, the orb was scattered to the winds. Seeing the questioning look in her eyes, he explained. "I didn't want you to get too tired, since it was your first time."

"I wasn't getting tired-" her protests were cut off by a yawn.

"Sounds like you are," he countered with a smile. "We should get inside before Blaidd or the others get suspicious."

"What would they get suspicious of?" She already knew the answer, but she wanted him to try and explain it.

"You know, they might think we're um..." he was turning bright red. "You know." he added weakly.

"I get it. Don't hurt your brain there, Pokemon Master."

"Not funny, Mist."

His old nickname for her struck her as odd, out of place. She eyed him and she noticed how for the first time, he was actually taller than her, with a lanky grace that comprised teenagers at this point in time. "I thought it was."

"Uh-huh. We should get inside." This time, he fought back a yawn. He started to stroll back, Misty walking next to him. Before they went inside, she suddenly grasped his wrist. "What was that for?" he asked.

"Thank you." she replied haltingly. "For showing me."

He nodded. "No problem." He moved aside to let inside, then shut the door behind him. He watched her in the darkness as she went back to her sleeping bag. "Night Mist." he said softly, unsure if she heard him. "And thank you."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Blaidd crawled back to his place in the tree, smiling to himself despite his tiredness. He didn't need to show her the beauty and power of Aura because he did it for him. "Halves of a whole," he muttered out loud before closing his eyes once again and letting sleep take him once again with open arms.

**Review please? Lonely reviews are sad reviews. Make them happy by giving them friends!**

** Please? **


	11. Chapter 11: Lord of Indigo

Chapter 11: Lord of Indigo

**To Some Girl with a Haxorus: I wanted to thank you for the nice review you sent me. I wish I could answer your questions, but you don't have an account(or if you do, I can't find it) :(. It's nice to see someone caring about little ole' me. But how about this: go to LiveJournal and search for gweniveve_skyes and I'll post something there to answer you questions from the review, m'kay?**

** Or, if you have an account, sign in with your next possible review and I can reply to that as well.**

** Also, my pen name reminds you of dragons b/c my avatar is a dragon hanging off a hummingbird feeder, probably lol :) **

The lone mountain of Mt. Battle loomed over their heads, a solitary sentinel heralding the entrance to the desert. Faint veins of vibrant, almost blood hued, shades of red indicated that the mountain was, in fact, active. The near limitless expanse of the desert spread out in front of them, a rough looking landscape with scraggly looking bushes and rough sand. The desert had no name, but some of the citizens of Orre dubbed it "The Cradle of Death".

Ash prayed that it wasn't true.

He scrubbed some of the grit that had accumulated on his face. His hat was providing some shade from the glaring, unblinking eye of the sun, but it wasn't enough; he had long since shoved his jacket into his pack. Sand was getting everywhere, as the wind was starting to pick up a bit, blowing the sand around in dust devils, dancing around each other like the creatures they were named after. They had been wandering into the depths of the desert for three days now, just entering the more rocky and dangerous part of the desert, like they had just passed an invisible boundary, for the change was that reached for his water canteen and unscrewed the lid off the metal canteen, bound in leather, and poured some water into the lid, handing it to Pikachu, who guzzled greedily. Pikachu, who was considerably smaller than Ash, was far more susceptible to dehydration than his larger trainer. Thus, keeping the small rodent pokemon hydrated was a priority to Ash.

"This desert is so _hot," _Drew groaned, adjusting his things. "Even the desert in Hoenn wasn't this roasting. You could cook an egg here."

"But would you want to?" Brock asked. "Sand would get everywhere in it."

"I'd laugh, but I'm too hot to."

"Since when were you in the desert?" May asked.

"That's how I got Trapinch. It's an interesting story."

"You'll have to tell it to me sometime."

"Do you think that we'll find wild pokemon here?" Max interjected, before May lost her composure.

Gary, who had been listening, shook his head. "Probably not. I heard the desert was all but lifeless when it comes to wild, native pokemon. Most "wild" pokemon here are probably transplants from other regions like Johto and Hoenn. Besides, if there were any wild pokemon, then Cipher would be all over them. At least, that's what Gramps told me before we left."

"Who is Cipher?" Dawn inquired, echoing the thought that was in all their minds.

"From what Gramps told me, Cipher is a criminal organization intent on corrupting the natures of pokemon and turning them into weapons. He didn't really have much to go on. Orre is notorious for keeping a muzzle on their media, preventing from any of their dirty laundry from airing."

Blaidd kept his thoughts silent as he trekked ahead. He didn't know where they were heading specifically, for Ash was fuzzy on details from Ho-Oh's vision, but he had a sense that they should travel in a northeasterly direction. He wasn't sure why he had to head that way, but it was drawing him like a magnet. The sense he had, it was like a trickle of _something_, luring him in like he was being pulled by a fine thread. A _scent_ of something was the best way he could describe it; the problem was that he didn't know what it was that was driving him.

"Blaidd?" It was Ash.

"What is it?"

"Do, do we know where were going?"

Blaidd shook his head. "I'm not very sure Ash, to be honest. But, there's something in the air. I don't know what, but it is drawing me closer," he pointed toward the northeast, in a northwesterly direction from where they were. "Do you feel it Ash?"

Ash paused, lifting his head to the sky, inhaling. "I don't sense anything."

"Open your eyes—no, not your real eyes. Your Aura Sight."

"Why my Aura Sight?"

"It is a hunch."

Ash huffed and closed his eyes once again, stopping in his tracks to get a better sense of direction and his location. When he opened them once more, he saw the world rimmed in Aura. His eyes swept across the landscape, hoping to find the "phantom" sense that Blaidd was seeing. He scowled when he didn't find anything. Suddenly though, in the direction that Blaidd pointed, he saw it. It was a thread like trail, winding its way through the desert in a seemingly haphazard pattern. It was pale blue, the distinct signature of Aura.

_"A pokemon?"_ he wondered._ "Or a person?"_ He knew it wasn't Misty's, nor Blaidd's, for he knew both of their signatures, so it had to be something else entirely. It reminded him of the trails jets leave behind when they flew. As the planes flew farther away, their smoke trails would fade into the sky, with only the most recent residue to leave evidence of their passing.

_"Follow it, and see where it may lead,"_ a voice whispered in his inner mind. It sounded like Ho-Oh, from the tower, but he could be sure.

"What the. . .?" Ash said unnerved by the intrusion.

"Something wrong?" Misty asked. She had caught up with the trainer. He could tell that she wasn't used to the heat of the desert; her skin was flush with heat and a growing sunburn. Underneath her flushed skin, she looked unusually pale and tired. Her hair was practically plastered to her skin from sweat. Azurill was in his ball, to prevent heat exhaustion.

"Just looking for something," Ash muttered, unaware of her physical presence; he could sense her Aura.

"What, exactly?"

"I don't know, exactly." He focused on the trail. The trail was weak, very weak. _"Did someone use their Aura, or is it their signature?"_

"What do you see Ash?" Blaidd asked, eager.

"A trail, I think. It's like a tiny string of Aura, going that way." He pointed to the northwest.

"See if you can study it," Blaidd urged.

"Okay." Ashe sought the trail again, for he had lost track of it while he was talking with Blaidd. He decided to take Blaidd's advice and delve into it, trying to discern what it was exactly. He imagined himself seizing the trail in his mind's eye, but as he got "caught" it, it faded away, only to congeal back into the "trail". The discovery baffled and frustrated him all at once.

"What is he doing?" Brock wondered.

"Looking," Blaidd replied, watching his pupil.

After about fifteen minutes of strained silence, he sighed and ended his Aura Sight. "I can't tell what it is," he admitted.

"So, nothing about the originator then?"

"Every time I get close to it, the trail seems to fall apart," Ash snarled with contained annoyance. "Then it gets back together again when I go away. I don't get it!"

"Ash, calm down," Misty chided. "You found the trail, that's a good thing."

"But we have no idea where it goes or who it's from. For all we know, it could be Archer and his gang!"

"Don't lose your temper with me," Misty warned.

"Like you would know about holding your temper-"

"Ash." Brock interrupted. "We've been traveling all day and I think the heat is getting you, to all of us. We're all tired and cranky, but don't take it out on us. We'll take a fifteen minute break to sit and get some water, okay?"

Ash deflated under Brock's mild scolding, but it didn't stop the teen from scowling. "Alright." he snatched the water canteen off his shoulder, startling Pikachu in the process and guzzled it greedily, glaring in the direction of the trail all the while.

May exchanged a look with Drew. "That could have been bad," she muttered.

"Shame we didn't have a camera with us."

"Drew!"

"I was kidding, alright? Don't have to screech."

They seated themselves on the ground, too tired to care about the sand that was getting into their clothes. Misty was seating herself away from Ash, who was still temperamental at the moment. Dawn decided to seize the opportunity to ask Gary a question. Something had been nagging her since their arrival at Agate Village. She slowly crept next to him, trying to be subtle in her movements.

"Gary?"

"Yeah Dawn?" He was fingering the strap on his drink.

"Can I ask you something?"

"About what?"

"Back at Agate Village, Eagun mentioned something about a man who looked like you. When he mentioned it, you turned really pale and quiet. What happened?"

Gary turned his face away and his expression grew dark, pain written in his eyes. "I don't think you would understand."

Dawn inched closer and placed a hand on his leg. "You can try me. I'm a friend."

"I think...I think he knew my father."

"Your dad?"

Gary nodded slowly. "Yeah," he added quietly. "You see. . ."

Just then, Max trotted up to the pair. "Sorry to interrupt, but Brock says that we should get going."

Gary embraces the opportunity to stand up, brushing the sand off his clothes. "We better get going then." he remarked hurriedly, ending the conversation as quickly as it came. He grabbed his pack and left, leaving Dawn by herself.

"Why won't he talk to me?" she said to herself.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

A woman wandered across the top of a sand dune, careful to avoid the sharp rocks that protruded from the earth. She did not look like one of the native tribesmen, with her light colored hair that looked to be the shade of the pale colored sands beneath her feet, and her eyes, the hues of the swollen underbellies of thunderclouds. She wore the traditional dress though, with a long, slitted skirt and white tunic, all hemmed with indigo thread; a belt of hammered copper plates with rock quartz insets kept it together. Sandals graced her feet, with leather thongs that wound up her calf. A bladed implement- a curved short sword—rested lightly in her right hand while a matching one rested in its sheath on the right side. Her storm hued eyes scanned the western horizon. The air had a tense, precarious quality about it, as if the world was teetering on the edge of a knife.

A harsh cry shattered the silence like a broken mirror and the woman was stirred from her thoughts. A staraptor, twice the size of a normal one of his species, landed heavily on the sands. She knelt and placed her hands on each side of the raptor pokemon's fierce visage, her eyes keeping a steady gaze with the bird's bright red eyes. "What do you sense, Horus?" she asked the bird quietly, reluctant to break the salvages of silence. The bird cocked his head to one side, trying to make an attempt to understand her question, but was unable to answer. She ran her fingers through the soft, downy facial feathers, her mind wandering elsewhere. She felt uneasy, tense, as if her core was a tightly wound coil, ready to spring if the the timing was right. She absently returned Horus to his pokeball and placed it back in the leather draw string bag that was attached to her belt.

"Mercedes," a man walked up behind her. Like the woman, he was dressed in white, though unlike hers, he wore white pants; he wore a leather vest over his bare chest. He had strong features, with high, broad cheekbones and a hooked nose. His eyes were the color of amber and he wore his raven black hair in a short braid, feathers and strands of precious stones woven into it. He wore no sandals on his feet. "What do you sense?"

She turned to him slowly, eyes gazing upon him lovingly. "I don't know, love. It has me feeling uneasy though, like I'm witnessing the end of an age. Do you sense it?"

He shook his head. "I sense nothing, Mer, save only the wind upon my face and the sand under my feet. Nakiri might sense it though."

"I don't think so, Mru." Mercedes, the woman replied sadly, turning back. "It is only something that I can only feel, I think."

Mru, the man, placed his hand on her lower back, eyes on the western horizon. He watched the landscape with her for a while. From the corner of his eye, he could see the vague forms of his tribe heading in the direction that Mercedes had been studying. "We must get going. My uncle would not appreciate his scouts shirking from their duties."

"Right." Mercedes pulled out another pokeball, this one an ultraball, known by the black and gold pattern and summoned the creature dwelling within. The beast that emerged was a monstrous creature, its scales the color of granite and protruding from its form like stalactites and jagged rocks; it was an ancient monster, from a past epoch, now living in its present. It was built like a wyvern from myths, with wing membranes the shape of dark purple, turning to almost black at the edges; the edges were ragged from age. Twin horns twisted and writhed from just behind its baleful red eyes. Teeth peeked out from its underslung jaw. Its spiked tail swished back in forth in impatience. The wyvern like creature was an Aerodactyl, not seen since the dawn of time. "Paathurnax, scout ahead for Teldas and don't eat any of the mareep please, this time." Paathurnax gave a screech and sprung into the sky, using the desert thermals to head in a westerly direction, flapping his massive wings only occasionally.

Mercedes then took Mru's hand and pulled him along, running in the shadow of Paathurnax and alongside the tribe's caravan, just out of sight.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The day was beginning to break into the afternoon, the sun now overhead, heat crashing down on them like a hammer on an anvil. The air in front of them seemed to shimmer with the incalescence of the sun. He was still following the trail of the Aura thread, occasionally lapsing into Aura Sight to make sure he was on the right path. Blaidd came up closely behind him, to guide him as needed. The pair was followed by Misty and Brock, then May, Max and Drew, with Gary and Dawn bringing up the rear. In the beginning, Blaidd had been much more strict about how the traveled, demanding that they travel in a single file line to throw off trackers, but was they pushed their way deeper, he had wavered in this thinking and eventually they coalesced into one large group. Occasionally though, Blaidd would look over his shoulder, just in case.

"Can we take another break?" Max asked. "My feet are killing me. I think I'm getting blisters."

"We all are," May reassured him. "Trust me."

"Not yet," Blaidd said. "If we stop, Ash might lose the trail."

"But it's the middle of the day," Brock argued, the beginnings of fatigue. "The sun is hottest now. The last thing we need is one of us to collapse from heat exhaustion or worse."

"We can't stop," Blaidd countered. "Not now, not until we find the origins of the thread."

Ash stopped suddenly and blurted, "The trail is getting stronger!"

"It is?" Blaidd asked.

"Yeah, I think it's getting thicker, actually!"

Blaidd laughed. "That's what I'm talking about! Can you figure out what it is yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Hmph. At least we're getting closer to solving the mystery."

"We aren't going to wander until we find what this thread is, are we?" Drew asked.

"We're only looking until Ash finds the temple from his vision; the trail could lead us there."

"For all we know, it could be leading us in the opposite direction."

Blaidd spun around, the remnants of a snarl gracing his features. "What do you suggest we do then?"

"I say we find one of theses "Holohians" and ask them."

May tapped his shoulder. "Um, Drew?"

"What?"

"I think he's getting angry."

Just then, Gary pointed towards the northwest. "Hey, I think there's something heading towards us."

Blaidd stopped. "Is it a sandstorm?"

"I don't think so. It. . .it looks like a bunch of people, actually."

"Well, there's your answer, Drew," Max said.

They froze in their positions, hands heading for their pokeballs, Blaidd readying his Aura and sparks crackling from Pikachu's cheeks. Gary's assumption had been correct. The tribe was about four score strong, full of men, women and children. The leader, a young man in his twenties and wearing leather armor, came to a stop. He raised his hand and the rest of the tribe stopped behind him. The air was filled with tension as the young man's eyes seemed to rest on Ash. Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and crouched in front of the trainer, hackles raised.

"Who are you?" The man asked haughtily, looking down his nose at the motley group.

" I'm Ash, and these are my friends. We're looking for something-" he stopped when Misty nudged his side discreetly.

"Careful!" she hissed softly.

"What exactly, are you looking for, _mukaatu_?" the tribal leader, if it could be assumed, inquired, drawing out his words.

"I think he just insulted us," Drew whispered to Gary.

"Well, Holohians don't like outsiders, remember?"

"Right."

"A building, I think." Ash replied, his gaze even with the tribal leader. "I think it is a temple, built into a rock face." The answer drew an audible gasp from the other natives and the once quiet crowd broke in a jarring jumble of words.

A look of rage crossed the tribal leader's face and in an instant, a wicked looking sword appeared in his hand. "No _mukaatu_ is allowed to know the Temple of the Rainbow Lord!" He raised the weapon over his head and started to swing it at Ash's head. "No one!"

"Ash!" Misty screamed.

Just then another man stepped in front of the path of the sword and stopped the tribal leader's wrist. "Ylvrios, what in the name of the Vulcan are you doing!"

"Out of my way, cousin! He demands to see the Temple of the Rainbow Lord!" Ylvrios spat, spittle flying from his mouth. "He is _mukaatu!_ He deserves to be punished!"

"My wife is _mukaatu_ too, if you recall," the other man growled,

Ylvrios sneered. "Do not tell me about your _mukaatu _wife, Mru. Now, move!"

"Mru, what's going on?" A woman, with dirty blonde hair and gray eyes, stormed through the crowd. Brock's eyes nearly bulged out of his head at the sight.

"Ylvrios aims to punish this _mukaatu _for wanting to see the Temple."

The woman laid her eyes upon Ash. "You wish the see the Temple?"

Ash nodded.

Mru, the other man, moved aside. "No outsider is allowed to see the Temple," he explained to Ash. "To do so would inflict severe punishment upon the viewer. How do you know of the Temple?" he asked, practically growling.

"I was told to come here, in a, in a vision."

"A vision?" the woman said.

"Who sent you the so called "vision"?" Mru sneered. It would seem that he had a poor impression of the teen as well.

"Ho-Oh did. He told me to come here."

The crowd died down at the mention of Ho-Oh, but suddenly, broke into peals of laughter. "Ho-Oh, the Rainbow Lord, told you to come here?" Mru said incredulously, in between laughs.

"He did!" Ash shouted over the laughter. "He told me to come here-"

"What is going on?" A voice boomed over the crowd, silencing them. A man sat astride an arcanine dressed in leather and scraps of metal plates. The pair was at the top of a large hill of sand and rock. The crowd moved aside as Arcanine made its way through the crowd and Ash got a better look at the stranger. He had an air of authority about him, evident by the crowd's reaction to him. He had a craggy face, with a scar over the bridge of his nose. His eyes were a very dark brown, almost black. Lines of weariness and laughter were around his mouth and the corners of his eyes, denoting great age, even though he did not move with the slow movements of the aged. His hair flowed behind him in a black, silver streaked curtain down to mid-back. He wore a long, indigo robe over white pants, with a midnight blue sash. In his right hand he held a large spear with a broad head. It looked like a lance in his hands. The spear shaft was adorned with feathers, small bones and chunks of crystal and ore at the top.

Ylvrios bowed his head. "Father, I can explain-"

"The _mukaatu_ wishes to see the Temple, Uncle," Mru explained hurriedly.

"I see." the elder said. He dismounted from Arcanine and stepped closer to Ash, scrutinizing him. "Tell me boy, what is your name?"

"Ash, sir."

"Very well, _Ash_," the unfamiliar name rolled on his tongue, the 'a's elongating as he pronounced the boy's name. "I am Teldas, chief of the Voran sect of the Indigo Tribe. Why do you wish to see the Temple? It is not a tourist attraction, you know." Behind him Ylvrios raged silently, his face an unpleasant shade of maroon, giving Ash a dark glance.

"I was told to go to it, by Ho-Oh." One or two members of the tribe snickered behind the elder at the mention of this, but were silenced by Teldas' steely gaze.

"Ho-Oh told you to come. It is not very often that Ho-Oh visits those of the _mukaatu."_

"You believe him?" Ylvrios said in disbelief.

"He has an honest look about him." Teldas answered, almost scolding.

Ylvrios turned his head away from his father. "Yes Father."

Teldas turned his attention back to Ash. "However, outsiders are not allowed to view the Temple. Only those accepted as members of the Holohians are allowed to see it."

"How can I see it then?" Ash asked. There was something about the elder that made him feel at ease, unlike the man Ylvrios, whom looked as if he still wanted to take a swing at his head with his sword.

"You must become one of us."

"I do not believe this father!" Ylvrios shouted. "You cannot lot allow this! He is _mukaatu!"_ Some of the other Holohians nodded their heads in assent.

"The wife of my nephew is, by your standards, a _mukaatu_, and she is one of us. Besides, you are not the chief, as I am not quite dead yet, so I make the decisions, not you."

Rebuked, Ylvrios sunk back into the crowd, giving Ash and the others dirty looks all the while. The elder continued. "If you wish to join, you must pass the Test."

"Test?"

"Yes. You must face one of our members in a challenge. If you lose, you are banished. If you win, you may join us and we will teach you in our ways and maybe Ho-Oh will guide you to the Temple you seek."

"What type of challenge? A pokemon battle?"

The elder shook his head. "Not a pokemon battle, but a trial by combat. Mru, my nephew, will fight you. Are you up to the challenge, Ash?" he asked.

Ash hesitated, glancing behind his shoulder. Everybody had varying degrees of horror written on their faces, Misty's worse of all. Blaidd, whose expression was inscrutable, shook his head sightly. _"Trust yourself," _the voice called to him again. _"The Aura will guide you."_

The voice—whether it was a hallucination induced by the heat, or really an outside influence, he couldn't tell—but the reassurance was all he needed. It was the only way, besides.

"I'll do it."

Teldas nodded sagely. "Very well then, Ash. The challenge shall begin shortly."

**Okay, another batch of pronunciations, lol:**

**Teldas: Remember the 'e' sounds like 'ae', so Teldas sounds like "Tael-das"**

**Mru: Sounds exactly it looks- "Mroo"**

**Ylvrios: The 'y' sounds like 'ee', so it is pronounced "Eel-vree-os"**

**And for those who noticed, yes, Mercedes' Aerodacytl is named after one of the dragons from _Skyrim_...I blame the game. When I look at Aerodactyl, I'm reminded of their dragons (which are technically wyverns, but...). I'm such a nerd. Maybe my brother will let me play instead of being a back seat player. *Sighs* Someday... :(**

**FUS RO DAHHHHH!**

**Shame on me...**


	12. Chapter 12: Usurpation

Chapter 12: Usurpation

** So one of the things I did not realize at the time was how populated the desert of Orre is, other than the Holohians. I seemed to have forgotten Pyrite town and Phenac city, as well as some of the other landmarks, such as the S.S. Libra and the Shadow Pokemon Lab. This was unintentional and at this point in the story, especially with so many chapter written past this, it would be a difficult, if Herculean feat to fix my mistake. So, I have decided to do some "tweaking" shall we say, by placing Orre in the context of the anime world and deciding that these places do not exist. The Pokemon lab in the desert had been destroyed at this point in the story, a few years ago from this point, actually. Because of the Holohians, Pyrite Town and Phenac City were not built. S.S. Libra had been scrapped by the Holohians and its sailors led back to civilization.**

** That is my story and I'm sticking to it. Because Orre has never been mentioned in the anime, I'm free to make the changes because the anime has no established canon for it. The game however. . . Shame on me. . .**

The ship made its landing close to midnight, with only the light from the stars to light the way. The ocean looked like molten argent, Stella noted, beautiful in its appearance, looking at it through a small window in her room. The ship was buzzing with activity as Archer planned to make his grand appearance to the executives of Cipher, filling their heads with tales of conquest and power and enslaving them with the shackles of death and destruction. Such was Captain Archer's way and to question it is to sentence yourself to death, Stella thought as she twisted her dark curly hair into a tight braid, to better fit under her helm. Captain Archer had commanded that the high ranking officers of his outfit dress themselves in their combat gear, to better impress the executives. She reached for her signature helm, a black Corinthian style helm that encompassed most of her head, leaving only her eyes visible, for the cheek guards wrapped around most of her face and the nose guard flared outward. A bright red crest from an unknown creature topped the helmet. Her armor was like the exoskeleton of a beetle, smooth and black and covering most of her body. She carried a small kite shaped shield, also black with silver studs dotting the edge and a foot long spike in the middle. Her tulwar, long since recovered from the battle of Rota, was strapped to her side. Her pokeballs were next to it.

"Fate," she said softly to herself. "Has given me the hard road in life. To be nothing more than a tool in Archer's game. But, but do I regret that decision?

Stella answered her own question. "It is a far better choice that what could have been."

She had been born to an alcoholic, prostitute mother and unknown father—her mother's employer—she guessed, the same mother who died in an alcohol fueled car crash that killed a family of five. Now motherless and fatherless, with no one the take care of her, she was left to the whims of the child care system in Celadon City, where she quickly ended up at an orphanage—she couldn't believe they still had those things. It wasn't until she was eight where she was rescued by an older gentleman who promised her the world if she came with him. Stella, who wanted to escape the cold, cruel confines of concrete walls and uncaring officials, went with him willingly.

"I will simply be known as "The Master"," he had told her. "I will give you everything you wanted, the things that this world, cold and cruel, could not. Or rather, would not. I will change the world and you, you will help me achieve this, for I see much potential in you."

He tempted her with honeyed words and eventually he had her, truly, her head, her mind, heart, and soul.

She became his warrior queen, fierce and beautiful, talented in battle and swordplay, an assassin and a master trainer, with a team that would make a Gym leader bow their head in shame.

But then Archer came along, a prodigy, and smashed it to bits.

For Archer could use Aura and she could not.

Now she was his servant, not an equal, like she had been with The Master. Stella occasionally wondered what would had happened if she challenged him then and there, rather then stand by and watch the slow, agonizing erosion of her position of power. At the very least, he let her live and keep her position, rather than demoting her to the lowest tier of their hierarchy. With the death of The Master, Archer promoted and demoted those that he chose. Those that challenged him or were a threat were slaughtered by his blade and their carcasses discarded in the ocean to be devoured by the denizens of the deep.

"As I said, it could have been worse." Stella laughed bitterly. There was a nagging thought, of fear for her own life and her position. Archer was changing; his moods were now becoming much more extreme and capricious. He could easily kill her just as soon as look at her, like what he did to the smuggler the other night. He had commanded his scientists to continue their experiments on the members on the lower rungs of command—mainly the Grunts he had recruited from the various criminal outfits—in order to create the perfect weapon, one that he planned to have complete and utter control over, for _he _planned to become the weapon, the experiment fueled by the power of Aura. He was becoming insane with power.

Something had to change soon, else they would all end up dead.

She finished getting ready, adjusting the black helm on her head and staring at the mirror. Her brown eyes looked so dead and lifeless, a minor price to pay while serving in the _kind_ graces of Archer. She was changing, she realized.

_"But is it for the better?"_ she wondered as she exited the room, careful to mask her thoughts and her demeanor.

Her boots, tipped in metal, clacked across the hard surface of the floor to greet Captain Archer, whom had been waiting for outside her room. Archer looked like the epitome of a ruler, discarding his usual armor for a different ensemble that Stella had only seen once before: at his ascension of the order after the death of the previous Master. The breastplate, pauldrons and bracers were a lustrous silver, with golden scrollwork along the edges. The pauldrons looked like wings flaring outwards, At the center of the breatplate was a fearsome stylized dragonite hammered in golden metal, its wings extending outwards He wore a red tunic underneath, with a longer skirt that went over his thighs. His greaves were also silver, with wing designs extending from them, looking like the ear wings of a dragonair. A belt of brown leather and golden studs went around his hips; his carnelian encrusted sword hung from it. A blood red cape went past his ankles to brush against the floor, clasped around his shoulders by two clasps that looked like the roaring profiles of luxrays.

But his helm, _that_ was a work of majesty. It was open-faced, forged of silver with golden accents, allowing his features to be seen. It looked like a dragonite, with the head and neck of the pokemon serving as the nose guard, while the arms and claws functioned as cheek guards. The "wings" of the dragonite flared upwards. However, the true beauty was how a five pronged crown was incorporated seamlessly into the design, with a large hunk of lapis lazuli as the centerpiece, the stone most often used when practicing Aura. Archer must have paid dearly for the work of beauty, though Stella surmised that it was the crafter of the piece paid for it in blood.

"Ah Stella, I have been waiting for you," Archer greeted her with open arms. He looked like a charismatic god of the sun, while she was the wicked goddess of the night, shunned by their proverbial father. She thought that it was ironic, in a way. "Shall we go greet our guests?" he smirked. She nodded slightly in reply.

"Yes, Captain Archer."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. -.-.-

Stella and Archer left the ship, flanked by a half dozen members of Stella's personal guard, dressed in their encasing black armor. Archer did not have a personal guard, nor did he need one, for he had his pokemon team to guard him and if that didn't work-

-Woe be unto the enemy that decided to stand in Archer's way.

On the island, the members of Cipher were waiting for the entourage, dressed in their white suits that seemed a better fit on a video game character rather than a member of Orre's most feared organization. Stella suppressed a snicker as she gazed upon them. Their uniforms looked more like Halloween costumes than actual uniforms; at the least, her personal guard looked far more intimidating in their close fitting black armor.

One of the Cipher members smartly saluted. "Master Reynard Archer!" he practically shouted, his voice trembling slightly. Archer seemed to have that affect on people.

"Captain Archer", Archer corrected slowly, one gauntleted hand fingering the hilt of his sword.

"Sorry Captain Archer," the grunt apologized, eying the blade. Before the Cipher grunt could bumble further, the second, a girl, interjected.

"Master Greevil will see you now," she said, attempting to keep her eyes downcast and away from Captain Archer's face.

"Thank you, but I must admit, I thought that Greevil had disappeared." Archer replied, sounding horribly naïve and Stella could see why; he wished to make himself as a pompous fool, until the time was right and Archer would strike with the swiftness of an arbok.

"Greevil survived the attempts on his life and found us again to lead us," The girl seem condescending towards the pair and Stella was tempted to teach her a lesson, but Archer stayed her hand, which had unconsciously been reaching for her weapon.

"Steady," Archer whispered to Stella, quiet so that the grunts could not hear. Then to the girl he said, "Ah yes, my apologies. My news must be outdated. It is difficult to retrieve news about your organization." Again, another lie. Archer had plenty of information about the organization, retrieved from various sources inside and outside of Orre.

She nodded curtly, her hand extending to inside the cave. "This way, _Captain_." Archer went in first, followed by Stella, only a couple of steps behind. Stella's guard, the only guard that came with them, marched on either side of them, in tidy rows of six.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- .-

Greevil was a small, shriveled up husk of a man, Stella noticed, strolling into the the room that served as their dining place, a tiny man with a balding head and glasses that seemed too big for his tiny raisin like eyes, all but hidden under the numerous wrinkles on his face. He wore violet robes that made him seem even smaller, if such a thing were possible. A man like Greevil should not be allowed to wear a color designated for royalty. He looked hunched over in his chair, surrounded by his executive that Stella didn't even bother a second glance at. Grunts lined the walls, keeping an eye out on the visitors, just in case.

Sometimes, it was best to not learn the names of people you might end up killing. It made the nightmares less horrifying, in a way.

"Welcome Captain Reynard Archer and Stella Natalios," Greevil wheezed, his eyes falling upon Stella, almost lecherous. Stella fought the urge to gag at the thought. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance. I have heard much about your organization and I am glad that you have decided to make this alliance." His voice was thin and reedy and Stella wondered how such a small man could wield the power of an organization as expansive as Team Cipher. She could easily break him with her bare hands.

One of the grunts walked to them and gestured to Archer's weapons. "Your weapons, please."

Archer nodded and pulled out a small dagger, one that had been skillfully hidden in his belt and handed it over. The grunt took the weapon and sneered, "The sword as well." he glanced over at Stella. "You too."

Archer looked down at the sword as if it was the first time he had seen it. "Oh, this? This is nothing but a prop, it can't even cut you."

The grunt seemed unimpressed at Archer's explanation and began to say something more, when Greevil waved a hand, shooing the grunt away from Archer, clearly believing him. "Leave the man alone, if he says it is useless, then it is useless; however, I want your guards out of the room. I'm sure that my grunts will suffice for the meal."

Archer scowled at the request, but obliged anyway, banishing the guards outside the room. It was only him and Stella now, but Stella was all he needed should something arise. The grunts directed the pair to their seating places, near Greevil, but not close enough to be in arm's reach. Two men, one with red hair and the other with blue, hovered near Greevil, their faces partially obscured by their wrap around sunglasses. "Bodyguards?" he asked.

"My sons," Greevil sniffed.

"I would not have guessed."

Greevil shot Archer a dirty glance and continued, gesturing for one of the grunts to start bringing food out to them. A hot steaming bowl of soup was placed in front of Greevil while Archer received a steak that Archer was positive wasn't synthetic meat and had no desire to eat all of the sudden. He despised the idea of actually _eating_ a pokemon, but in order to oblige Greevil and his twisted machinations, begrudgingly cut a small piece and took a bit, repressing the urge to gag all the while.

"So, what brings the mighty Archer to grace my humble presence?" Greevil began, his reedy voice cutting through the room.

"I'm searching for something," Archer cut another piece of the steak but did not take a bite. "Something valuable and powerful. If we can find it, it will bring us great power."

"You say us," Greevil snorted. "Why not search for it on your own?"

"Because," Archer adjusted his cloak around him, subtly undoing the strap that held his sword in place in its scabbard. "I have little knowledge of the desert, and you do." Another lie, but this one was designed to make Greevil sound and appear more important to Archer.

"Yes, I do have much knowledge of the desert," Greevil crowed, sitting back in his throne of a chair, an elaborately carved chair with a high back. "My men had operated in the desert for some time and have no intentions of leaving anytime soon. But what, might I inquire, are you looking for?"

"A boy."

Greevil's piggish eyes widen in surprise. "A boy? A boy will bring us great power?"

"It took a boy to bring an organization such as yours to its knees, no?" Archer sneered.

Greevil scowled and his two bodyguard sons stepped forward, hands to pokeballs, ready and willing to defend the honor of their father and Team Cipher. "And why," Greevil crossed his arms in his luxurious robes, his form dwarfed in them. "Should I help the likes of you, crawling to my doorstep, hoping to endear me with honeyed lies, then insulting me in my own house!" he snapped.

"Why, that's quite simple really," Archer fiddled with the knife in his hand, digging the tip of the blade into the wood work of the large table, cutting through the fabric of the tablecloth in the process. "I have taken down organizations as powerful as Team Rocket with a single gesture. I have assimilated the forces of Team Aqua, Team Magma and Team Galactic, their leaders forsaking them and their values, my associates and I shepherding them into one organization, despite their bickering, petty values. I have forged them into a mighty weapon that will take the deserts of this puny region like a hurricane.

"And besides, if you don't, I will kill you and take your organization by force." Archer finished, smiling, his teeth looking more like fangs.

Greevil had enough with Archer's drivel. He practically lunged out of his seat, robes in a flurry. He pointed and screeched at them. "Seize them! Make them pay for their insolence!" The grunts swarmed the pair, wielding what appeared to be stun guns mounted on a rifle stock. Greevil was surrounded by his executives and they vanished to the deepest recesses of the room.

Yanking the knife out of the table, Captain Archer flung it at one of the Cipher grunts, while pulling his sword from his scabbard. The knife sunk deep into the Cipher member's chest, breaking the armor he wore. The grunt fell to the ground with a gurgle. Stella stood up and kicked the chair back, whipping her tulwar out. The chair collided with two grunts and the fell back, covering their faces from the flying pieces of wood. Archer cut down two grunts, blood whipping of his sword in a bloody arc, staining the pale hued tablecloth with blood splatter.

"Stella! I order you to deal with these grunts!" Captain Archer commanded, his voice cutting through the chaos in an authoritative manner, deep and charismatic. "I will deal with Greevil. I was hoping that we could settle this in a simple, bloodless matter," he shook his head sadly and pulled out a pokeball. "Furret, help me find Greevil!" the long pokemon emerged from his pokeball in a flash of white. The ferret like pokemon was wearing silver armor that ran down its back and belly, the two pieces joined by leather straps. The armor was made of large overlapping scales, allowing the ferret pokemon to have as much mobility as the armor allowed. Both Archer and Furret darted out of the room.

Stella found herself quickly surrounded by Cipher grunts. She whipped out flygon's pokeball and the pale green dragon came out, clad in black armor, like his trainer. Flygon's wings turned into a blur as it summoned a miniature sandstorm. Stella pulled down the visor on her helm, which provided protection from the grit while still allowing her to see in the storm. As Team Cipher strained to see in the dust storm, Stella whistled shrilly and piercingly, beckoning her and Archer's personal guard into the room. Stella blocked the stun rifle of one Cipher member, slicing it off midway down the stock. A mild electric shock went up her arm as the weapon broke, but she paid it no mind, sending her tulwar into the chest of the offending Cipher member, the tip of the weapon emerging from their back. Flygon slashed away at one Cipher member and batted away another into the stone wall, snapping their spine with the collision. Flygon blasted away a grunt with a dragon pulse attack.

The door of the room shattered as one of her guards kicked the door in, sending it off its hinges. The guard swarmed into the room, each of them pulling down the visors of their own helms like Stella, the sand striking off the armor, paying no mind to it. Stella's personal guard had special helms designed like hers allowing them to see through the grit. Stella used the tactic often, having her flygon muster up a sandstorm and using it for cover. Swords slashed up and down, as a farmer would cut down wheat at harvest. The Cipher grunts stood no chance against Stella and Captain Archer's personal guard.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Archer and Furret charged down the halls of Greevils volcanic lair, the halls made of natural lave tubes, solidifying after thousands of years. Archer snarled, "Where are you, you miserable little cretin?"

From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of blue going down one of the halls that branched off the main hall. "Furret go after them!" the furret chirped and bolted down the hall, much faster that Captain Archer could. Archer followed behind, his sword bare and bloodied, his cloak billowing behind him, his boots striking the stone floor, like a bell ringing out.

Archer and Furret found themselves at the top of the mountain lair, on top of a helicopter pad. He laughed, for Greevil had intended to flee and regroup somewhere else in Orre, like a sniveling coward he was. A nondescript black helicopter was waiting on the helipad, the blades rotating, sending gusts of wind everywhere. Greevil and his two sons were running towards the helicopter, unaware of Archer's presence. They would know now.

"Furret, use hyper beam on the helicopter's blades!" He commanded. Furret nodded and opened his mouth wide. A stream of white energy flew over the heads of Greevil and his sons, and blasted into the blades of the helicopter. Helicopter parts and flame went everywhere as the machinery of the blades exploded. Greevil's two sons shielded their father and yanked him away from the smoking wreckage. They turned around to face him. Furret was exhausted from the attack, but Archer would use him again soon enough. One of Greevil's sons, the one in red, made a move for his pokeball strapped to his belt. Archer's left hand flared black and he shot out a gout of black Aura at the man. The Aura crashed in the man's chest and he was sent flying across the helipad.

The other son, the one in blue, charged, bellowing at the top of his lungs and reaching for a ball. Archer clenched his fist and manipulated the Aura energy into the shape of a hellish whip, comprised of black fire. Archer cracked the whip, sending the tip at the man's legs. The Aura whip tripped him and Archer pulled back on the. The man in blue fell back, the whip entangled with his legs. Archer cracked the whip to his left, sending the tip, and the man, flying with it. He released the Aura and the man crashed into a rock at the edge of the helipad. Both men were now unconscious, presumably dead, leaving Archer to deal with Greevil, who was now a burbling wreck, hiding in his robes, tiny raisin eyes wide with fear. The helicopter was now a burning wreckage on the helipad, the pilot assumed dead as well.

Archer stalked towards him, sword tip pointed low to the ground, cape draped behind him. His dirty blond hair was now out of its club, loose strands framing his face. He crouched next to Greevil, tsk-tsking at the man.

"You know," Archer began, slowly sheathing his sword. A sword would have been unwieldy in quarters as close as these. He pulled out his dagger, the one whose hilt was studded with carnelians. "I'm mildly disappointed. I had hoped that we could settle this matter peacefully. Now look at what you made me do."

"Please, please don't hurt me!" Greevil blubbered, his jowls shaking with every sound. To Captain Archer, it was like watching a quivering bowl of jelly.

"I wish I could do that; however," Archer paused. "To leave you alive would mean that I would have a rebellion on my hands. I don't like rebellions, frankly. They're too costly."

"I have money! Lots of it! I'll give you anything!"

"Why give it to me now, when I can simply take it when you're dead?" Archer plunged the dagger deep into the royal purple robes and into Greevil's side. Archer yanked the dagger out, wiping the blood off the blade, using Greevil's luxurious robes.

Archer stood back up, admiring his handiwork. If all went well in the depths of the volcanic lair, Stella should have subjugated the rest of Cipher's members, including the executive that survived the initial sparring.

"Captain Archer." It was Stella, her black encasing armor liberally splattered with blood, her tulwar held loosely in her right hand. "The members of Cipher have surrendered." she gazed at her surroundings, whistling in amazement at the chaos. "You did this, sir?"

"Yes I did." Archer held one hand up, allowing the black Aura to flare to life for only a moment, then extinguishing them as quickly. "You said the Cipher members surrendered? Including the executives?"

"Yes sir."

"Very good." Archer turned his back on her. "Have them spread the word of Greevil's rather _untimely_ demise." he kicked the corpse of the Cipher leader. "Tell that that they're under new management as well."

"Very well sir. Anything else?" Stella sheathed her weapon.

Archer mulled it over, returning Furret back into his ball. "Yes, I do.

"Tell them. . . tell them that they have a new mission now."

**And this is why you don't mess with Archer. Or his Furret.**

** You have been warned.**


End file.
